Matthias, Bernd T.

Matthias, Bernd T. (Teo) (1918–80) physicist; born in Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany. He studied in Rome and Zurich before coming to the U.S.A. (1947) to work at Bell Telephone Laboratories (1947–80); he also worked concurrently at the University of California: San Diego (1961–80). He discovered more superconductive elements and compounds than any other scientist; his 1954 niobium-tin alloy became the primary superconducting material before the advent of ceramics.