The History of Plastics
The forerunners of today’s plastics were natural products which gained the functional attributes required through the use of chemicals or UV light. For instance, fatless cheeses were turned into fixed masses – artificial horn, which was used for crockery and jewellery – using heating and reduction during the middle ages. Later, natural products are transformed into semi-synthetic materials: cellulose into celluloid, milk protein or casein into artificial stone. The latex of the rubber tree is processed into a highly elastic form of rubber which, by the way, remains in use today.
The replacement of expensive ivory was also a driving force behind the development of new plastics. The Hyatt brothers from New York developed a material from camphor and cellulose, which is commonly known as cellulose nitrate or celluloid and which was made into billiard balls.
The first completely synthetic, artificially manufactured material, a hard and dark plastic was invented in 1907 by Belgium born chemist Leo Baekeland, who called the fluid resin he invented Bakelite. As the first duroplastic material, in contrast to the previous materials which were based on celluloid, Bakelite retained its state once hardened under all circumstances and could also be added to almost all materials. It was chemically stable, heat resistant, break-proof and non conductive, it also demonstrated no change through the effect of the sun, the damp or salt. For these reasons, many everyday products like cameras, ashtrays and dashboards for cars were made from Bakelite, as well as guns which were used during the Second World War.
The industrial revolution enormously increases the demand for synthetic materials; the following research occurs and inventions are developed:
1839: Goodyear discovers the combination of rubber and sulphur
1846: Schönbein invents gun cotton by nitrating cellulose
1869: Hyatt produces every day items made from celluloid for the first time
1872: Baeyer produces phenolic resin in his laboratory for the first time
1885: Spitteler / Krischa discover semi-synthetic plastic
1887: Goodwin produces film reels made from celluloid
1892: Fremery and Urban manufacture copper silk threads
1904: Germany begins the production of artificial horn
1909: Baekeland produces phenol-formaldehyde-resins
1912: Klatte develops procedures for the manufacturing of PVC
1922: Staudinger introduces the notion of macromolecules for the first time
1927: Staudinger obtains fibres from polymers
1928: Röhm develops a transparent plastic – Plexiglass
1930: Plastic fibres are drawn from a molten mass
1933: An English research group polymerises ethylene to polyethylene under high pressure
1934: Synthetic fibres are produced from post-chlorinated PVC by the company IG-Farben
1935: Carothers obtains the first threadable fibres from polyamide
1937: Large scale production of polyamide 6,6 (nylon) starts in the USA
1943: Castan begins developing epoxy resins in Switzerland
1946: Whinfield and Dickson manufacture the first serviceable polyesters using aromatic dicarbon acids
1949: BASF begins the production of Styrofoam
1950: The large scale manufacturing of epoxy resins as reaction adhesives begins
1953: Through the use of suitable aluminium organic compounds, Ziegler is able to manufacture polyethylene under normal pressure conditions
1957: Stereo specific Polypropene is produced according to a procedure developed by Ziegler and Natta
1963: The production of high temperature resistant polymers begins in the USA
1968: Carbon fibres are developed so that they are ready to go into production
1970: Plastics are combined with mineral fibres and are used in aircraft construction
1975: Test programmes for plastics recycling are developed
Example: Polyethylene
PE is the most widely produced plastic product. It is a thermoplastic and accounts for about 30% of all plastics in the world. PE has been manufactured on an industrial scale since the 1950s. It first saw major use by the company Tupperware in the USA. Today, plastic bottles, plastic bags, films and many other products are made using polyethylene.
Example: Polyethylene
Terephthalate PET is a polyester. It has been used for the manufacturing of plastic bottles since the 1970s. The use of PET continues to grow rapidly and currently accounts for just under 10% of all plastics. It is clear, break-proof and suitable for recycling.
