| Abstract Scope |
Being given the task of finding a method for preparing a perfectly smooth nickel surface in an industrial research laboratory, Pierre Armand Jacquet (1906-1967) made a test on electrolytic deposition in which he reversed the polarity and (re-)discovered electrolytic polishing. Jacquet can rightly be considered the true father of electrolytic polishing insofar as it is with him that the technique really took off, both in research laboratories, for the study of the physical properties of surfaces of pure metals or alloys per se and in the industrial field (military-industrial in 1939-45). Recognizing and emphasizing the importance of Jacquet who devoted his career to this technique does not, on the contrary, prevent us from recalling the existence of grandparents (Adcock, Hughes), even great-grandparents (Charpy, Le Chatelier, Sirks), if only to observe that at that time the concerns and the means were not such that this technique could impose itself. |