HISTORY
History of plastics
Few inventions have changed the world as much as the discovery of plastics. This success story began more than 100 years ago with the transformation of natural substances into artificial materials, such as celluloid or casein, and for a long time plastics were regarded as inexpensive substitutes for metal or wood products, particularly in the consumer goods sector. In the capital goods sector, they were sometimes ignored and their properties greatly underestimated.
This attitude has changed fundamentally over the last 50 years. Since then, the variety of plastics has increased dramatically. The quality of the available materials and material variants has grown even more than the quantity. So-called high-temperature or high-performance plastics have emerged, which far surpass conventional materials in terms of their range of properties, and the advantages of plastics such as weight savings, wear resistance, freedom from maintenance and good processing options have won over many users, making plastics an indispensable part of our lives today.
The history of plastics is extremely short compared to that of other materials. It can therefore be summarised in a compact form. Below you will find a brief overview of the most important steps in the history of plastics:
1825 - Michael FaradayThe British chemist and physicist Michael Faraday discovers benzene, which later becomes the starting material for many plastics, during experiments in his laboratory.
1826 - Otto UnverdorbenThe pharmacist Otto Unverdorben discovers aniline, a liquid decomposition product of indigo. It later becomes an important raw material for many colourants and plastics.
1828 - Friedrich WöhlerFriedrich Wöhler produces organic urea by synthesising inorganic ammonium cyanate.
1838 - Victor RegnaultVictor Regnault produces gaseous vinyl chloride in the laboratory. He observes that the gaseous substance forms a white powder, polyvinyl chloride, on prolonged exposure to sunlight.
1861 - Alexander ParkesAlexander Parkes patents the material he invented, «Parkesine". Parkesine is a material based on cellulose nitrate and the precursor of the well-known celluloid.
1865 - Kekulé von StradonitzKekulé von Stradonitz establishes the ring-shaped benzene formula. He thus establishes modern organic chemistry.
1869 - John Wesley HyattJohn Wesley Hyatt begins commercialising celluloid.Hyatt developed a process for processing collodion wool (= pyroxylin) under pressure. The result was a cellulose nitrate that was plasticised with camphor and alcohol. Hyatt became known as the first successful manufacturer of plastics.
1872 - Adolf Ritter von BayerAdolf Ritter succeeds in the polycondensation of phenol and formaldehyde.
1897 - Adolph Spitteler, W. KirscheThe two Bavarian chemists Spitteler and Kirsche develop casein (artificial horn) from milk serum and formaldehyde.
1905 - Jacques E. BrandenbergerThe Swiss chemist Jacques E. Brandenberger invents cellophane. In 1908, Brandenberger applies for a patent for his process for the continuous production of cellophane film from viscose.
1910 - Leo Hendrik BaekelandLeo H. Baekeland and Rütgers AG jointly found Bakelite GmbH near Berlin. There they start the first industrial production of fully synthetic plastic, phenolic resin.
1912 - Fritz KlatteFritz Klatte clarifies the polymerisation of vinyl chloride (PVC) discovered by chance in 1838 by Victor Regnault (see above). Together with E. Zacharias, he creates the basis for the technical production of vinyl chloride from acetylene and hydrogen chloride. In 1913, Klatte was granted the first patent for the polymerisation of vinyl chloride. The industrial production of PVC then began in Bitterfeld in 1938.
1926 - Hermann StaudingerHermann Staudinger establishes macromolecular chemistry. Staudinger's idea that plastics consist of large molecules composed of numerous small molecules (theory of macromolecules) was met with a great deal of incomprehension. Ultimately, the theory of macromolecules was only proven by the experiments of W.H. Carothers (see below). Staudinger's research results were therefore only recognised decades later. In 1953, Staudinger was even awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry.
1926 - Eckert & Ziegler GmbHIn 1926, Eckert & Ziegler GmbH from Weißenburg in Bavaria launches the first industrially manufactured injection moulding machine.
1928 - Otto RöhmOtto Röhm develops artificial glass from synthesised methyl methacrylate (PMMA) during experiments in the laboratory of his company Röhm & Haas. Since 1933, he has marketed the resulting transparent sheets under the brand name PLEXIGLAS®.
1930 - IG-FarbenThe further development of high-pressure technology makes it easier for IG-Farben to produce various synthetic materials. Among other things, the former BASF in Ludwigshafen succeeds in polymerising styrene (PS) and producing synthetic rubber (NBR), known as BUNA®.
1935 - Wallace H. CarothersAt DuPont de Nemours in the USA, Wallace H. Carothers develops the material polyamide 6.6 (PA 6.6), also known as NYLON. In 1938, DuPont starts manufacturing nylon and produces textile fibres for so-called nylon stockings, among other things.
1937 - Otto BayerIn the laboratories of IG-Farben in Leverkusen, Otto Bayer and his colleagues dedicate themselves to rubber chemistry and develop polyaddition using diisocyanates to produce polyurethane (PUR).
1937 - Paul SchlackPaul Schlack develops polyamide 6 (PA 6) by polymerising e-caprolactam in the IG-Farben laboratories in his search for resistant textile fibres. This material becomes world-famous under the brand name PERLON®.
1938 - Roy J. PlunkettRoy J. Plunkett discovers the polymerisation of tetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) during experiments with refrigerants in the DuPont laboratories. DuPont markets this product under the name TEFLON® from the 1940s onwards.
1939 - 1945
The Second World War favours the further development of plastics. Many developments are categorised as important to the war effort or even classified in the countries involved. Various plastics, such as acrylic glass for cockpit glazing, are used in aircraft construction in particular.
The war also leads to the destruction of the mighty IG Farben!
1946 - Louis StottThe American Louis Stott is the first to succeed in extruding polyamide 6.6 into semi-finished products on an industrial scale. He founds the POLYMER Corporation to market his products.
1953 - Karl W. Ziegler, Giulio NattaKarl W. Ziegler and Giulio Natta develop a process for the polymerisation of ethylene under low pressure. This paved the way for the industrial production of polyethylene. Both were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work in 1963.
1958 - DuPont de NemoursBased on the basic experiments of the chemist A. W. Hoffmann from 1869, the technicians at DuPont de Nemours develop a new plastic in the 1950s by polymerising formaldehyde. The material is sold from 1958 under the brand name DELRIN®.
1960 ff. - various manufacturersIn the 1960s, the development of new plastics increased rapidly.Companies such as General Electric, now Sabic (plastics: PPO, PEI), Union Carbide (PSU), Phillips Petroleum (PPS), ICI Corporation, now Victrex (PEEK), DuPont (PI), Amoco, now Solvay (PAI, PPSU) or BASF (PEK) invent a variety of new, so-called high-performance plastics with properties that were previously only thought to be possible with metallic materials.
1978 - ICI CorporationThe high-temperature thermoplastic polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is developed in the laboratories of ICI Corporation. This development led to the creation of Victrex in 1993 through a management buy-out. Victrex makes PEEK the best-known and most widely used high-performance plastic after PTFE.
2000 - Alan J. Heeger, Alan G. MacDiarmid, Hideki ShirakawaThe three professors Heeger, MacDiarmid and Shirakawa are awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their research work on electrically conductive polymers. The invention of electrically conductive polymers makes it possible to combine the electrical properties of metal with the flexibility of plastics.