Bohuslav Březina obituary

Ing. Bohuslav Březina, CSc. passed away on February 4, 2019.

After obtaining his PhD in 1955 he joined the Ceramic Research Institute in Klenčí and Hradec Králové. In 1957 he joined the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences where he focused on growing single-crystals exhibiting ferroelectric properties. He conducted a truly pioneering research in a dramatically developing field.

The work of Bohuslav Březina and his group greatly contributed to the development of the Department of Dielectrics as experimental research could not be conducted without newly synthesized materials. Observations on newly synthesized compounds stimulated both experimenters and theoreticians. In such a way his work contributed e.g. to the first international conference on ferroelectric phenomena having been organized in Prague.

He initially grew crystals insoluble in water, prepared from melt, later he started growing water-soluble crystals. Bohuslav Březina’s achievements in this field were applied in industrial production in 1980s; his methods were also patent protected. As an internationally recognized expert in crystal growing, he was invited e.g. to stay at the prestigious Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule in Curych.

In 1973 a popularising book “Ferroelectrics” (“Feroelektrika”, in Czech) was published by Academia, written by Bohuslav Březina and Petr Glogar. The book is a handy introduction to ferroelectricity, unsurpassed until now.

Bohuslav Březina’s former colleagues will also gratefully remember his kind-hearted personality.