Timeline of plastic development
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a timeline of the development of plastics, comprising key discoveries and developments in the production of plastics.
Pre 19th Century
Year | Event | Reference |
---|---|---|
1600 BC | Mesoamericans use natural rubber for balls, and figurines. | [1] |
1000 BC | First written evidence of Shellac. | |
Middle Ages | Europeans use treated cow horns as translucent material for windows. Japanese and Chinese use ox horns for the same purpose, as well as for shades of oil lamps. | |
19th Century
Year | Event | Reference |
---|---|---|
1839 | Eduard Simon, a German apothecary, discovers polystyrene. | [2] |
1844 | Thomas Hancock patents the vulcanization of rubber in Britain immediately followed by Charles Goodyear in United States. | [3] |
1856 | Parkesine, the first member of the Celluloid class of compounds and considered the first man-made plastic, is patented by Alexander Parkes. | [4] |
1869 | John Wesley Hyatt discovers a method to simplify the production of celluloid, making industrial production possible. | |
1872 | PVC is accidentally synthesized in 1872 by German chemist Eugen Baumann. | [5] |
1889 | Eastman Kodak successfully files a patent for celluloid film. | [6] |
1890s | Galalith, a plastic derived from casein, is developed by Wilhelm Krische and Adolph Spitteler. | [7] |
1890s | Auguste Trillat discovers the means to insolubilize casein by immersion in formaldehyde, producing material marketed as galalith. | [7] |
1894 | Shellac phonograph records are developed and soon become an industry standard. | |
1898 | The German chemist Hans von Pechmann first synthesizes polyethylene while investigating diazomethane. | [8] |
20th Century
Year | Event | Reference |
---|---|---|
1907 | Bakelite, the first fully synthetic thermoset, is reported by Leo Baekeland using phenol and formaldehyde. | |
1912 | After over 10 years' research, Jacques E. Brandenberger develops a method for producing cellophane and secures a patent. | [9] |
1926 | Waldo Semon and the B.F. Goodrich Company develops a method to plasticize PVC by blending it with various additives. | |
1930 | Neoprene is produced for the first time at DuPont. | [6] |
1930s | Polystyrene is first produced by BASF. | [1] |
1931 | RCA Victor introduces its vinyl-based Victrolac compound for records. Vinyl records have twice the groove density of shellac records with good sound quality. | |
1933 | The first industrially practical polyethylene synthesis is discovered by Eric Fawcett and Reginald Gibson at the Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) works in Northwich, England. | [10] |
1935 | Nylon is invented and patented by DuPont. | [6] |
1938 | Nylon is first used for bristles in toothbrushes. It features at the 1939 World's Fair and is famously used in stockings in 1940. | |
1938 | Polytetrafluoroethylene (commonly known as teflon), discovered by Roy Plunkett at DuPont. | |
1941 | Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is discovered at the Calico Printers' Association in Britain. Expanded polystyrene is first produced.[6] | |
1950 | DuPont begin the manufacture of polyester. | |
1951 | J. Paul Hogan and Robert L. Banks from Phillips polymerize propylene for the first time to produce polypropylene. | |
1953 | Polycarbonate is independently developed by Hermann Schnell at Bayer and Daniel Fox at General Electric. | |
1954 | Polypropylene is discovered by Giulio Natta with production starting in 1957 | [1] |
1954 | Expanded polystyrene, used for building insulation, packaging, and cups, is invented by Dow Chemical. | [1] |
1957 | The Italian firm Montecatini begins large-scale commercial production of isotactic polypropylene. | |
1960s | High-density polyethylene bottles are introduced; they will replace glass bottles in most applications. | [11] |
1965 | Kevlar is developed at DuPont by Stephanie Kwolek | |
1980s | Polyester film stock replaces cellulose acetate for photographic film and computer tapes. | |
1988 | The first polymer bank notes are issued in Australia | |
References
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