William H. Debye

William H. Debye was a Dutch-American physicist and physical chemist, renowned for his work in molecular physics. Born in 1884 and awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1936, he is best known for developing the Debye model, which helps explain how materials respond to heat and electric fields, particularly in the study of molecular dipoles and polar molecules. His contributions significantly advanced our understanding of dielectric materials and the behavior of gases. Debye also played a key role in developing X-ray diffraction techniques, which are essential in studying crystal structures and materials science.