Hermann Staudinger, first at ETH Zurich and then at Freiburg, is responsible for founding modern polymer science by proving that polymers are long chain molecules composed of repeating units and not loose colloidal associations as had been previously thought. The synthetic polymer field received great impetus from the success of the industrial scale production of polystyrene under the direction of Herman Mark at I.G Farben in the 1920’s. In the 1930s, high pressure or low density polyethylene was developed by ICI and Nylon and neoprene rubber by Carothers at DuPont. World War II saw the development of a large industrial program to develop Styrene Butadiene Rubber (SBR), a substitute for natural rubber. This program received vital contributions from many, but the work of Sparks at what was then Esso Research stands out. Although there remained considerable resistance to the study of synthetic polymers even after Staudinger, a number of academic chemists and physicists entered the field. Many enjoyed illustrious careers and made major contributions. Here the name of P.J. Flory stands out in polymer physics, while K. Ziegler and J. Natta stand out in polymer chemistry. There had been an Institute for Rubber Chemistry at Akron since the 1930’s and this was followed in the 1940’s by the Polymer Research Institute at Brooklyn Poly Tech headed by Herman Mark. Other academic and government centers were founded in the United States. Polymer research became important in many Japanese Universities and in Europe. Fundamental polymer research in industry was established in the 1920s and 30s at I.G. Farben and at DuPont. Other important industrial centers were then established worldwide.<br/>Here we will focus on the UMASS PSE Department and its 50 plus year approach to providing a comprehensive education in polymer physics, polymer chemistry and polymer engineering.

Development of polymer science in academia

256th National Meeting (2018)

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