Adrian C. Wright: Glasses, Neutrons, Borates!

摘要

Professor Adrian C Wright of the Physics Department at Reading University has a long and illustrious scientific career, based on the use of neutron scattering to study the atomic structure of glasses. lie and Roger Sinclair, his longstanding collaborator, have been key figures in the development of pulsed neutron diffraction as an experimental technique for structural studies of glass. One of his outstanding areas of work has been the investigation of the structure of vitreous B2O3, showing clear support for a model which involves a large proportion of boroxol groups. A brief outline of the life and scientific career of Adrian Wright is given. Emphasis is given to his early work on glasses, neutron scattering and vitreous B2O3, showing how this led to the development of the International Conference on Borate Glasses, Crystals and Melts into a successful conference series.