1. Presentation by G. Tavmen & S. Schinzel ESST 2002 Maastricht, NL Page 0 of 14 The History of Nylon Presentation on the development of man made fibres especially nylon 6-6 Presentation by Güneş TAVMEN & Stefan SCHINZEL Introduction

2. Presentation by G. Tavmen & S. Schinzel ESST 2002 Maastricht, NL Page 1 of 14 Table of Contents Contents: 1.Introduction 2.Reflections of the Nylon 6-6 History 3.Outcome 4.Conclusion 5.Questions & Discussion

3. Presentation by G. Tavmen & S. Schinzel ESST 2002 Maastricht, NL Page 2 of 14 1 Research Questions Research questions:  Do documents on history shape the perceptions of certain subjects?  Can history be seen from an objective perspective ?  Is there a general objective perspective at all ?

4. Presentation by G. Tavmen & S. Schinzel ESST 2002 Maastricht, NL Page 3 of 14 1.1 Why Nylon 6-6 ? Why Nylon 6-6 (Polyamide 6-6) ?  A black box embodied in our lives  Wide influence on society  Change of relation between lab and commercial industry  More recent innovation  very well documented

5. Presentation by G. Tavmen & S. Schinzel ESST 2002 Maastricht, NL Page 4 of 14 1.2 Utilization of Nylon 6-6 The utilization of Nylon 6-6:  Textile industry (“wash and wear”)  Musical instruments  Toothbrush  Carpets  Outdoor clothing (inc. tents, backpacks etc)  Tires, etc…

6. Presentation by G. Tavmen & S. Schinzel ESST 2002 Maastricht, NL Page 5 of 14 1.3 Properties of Nylon 6-6 Chemical & mechanical properties of Nylon 6-6:  High tensile strength (stretchable without deformation)  Excellent chemical resistance  High mechanical strength and heat resistance  Easy to process  Can be dyed easily

7. Presentation by G. Tavmen & S. Schinzel ESST 2002 Maastricht, NL Page 6 of 14 2 Methodology Methodology:  Brief introduction to the three different views on history:  The inventor (W. Carothers)  The company where he conducted the research in his lab (Du Pont)  The global perspective

8. Presentation by G. Tavmen & S. Schinzel ESST 2002 Maastricht, NL Page 7 of 14 2.1 History 1 Wallace H. Carothers (1896-1938)  Genius chemist, several degrees  Conducted research at industrial company (Du Pont)  Conducted research to find a molecule as large as possible  In the beginning he was free to chose his topic, later on he was oriented by Du Pont  His colleague realized that nylon could be drawn into fibre (1934)  Suffered from depression and committed suicide Science and Corporate Strategy – Du Pont R&D (1992) Polymers – The Origins & Growth of a Science (1995) Massachusetts Institute of Technology http://www.mit.edu (2002)http://www.mit.edu

9. Presentation by G. Tavmen & S. Schinzel ESST 2002 Maastricht, NL Page 8 of 14 2.2 History 2 Du Pont (established 1802)  Wanted to have a research lab as their “commitment to scientific discovery as the key to future success”  Lured away Carothers from Harvard university  Carothers was free to “do pure basic research”  Du Pont wanted to develop a synthetic fibre that could replace silk  Nylon invented by Carothers in 1935  In 1938, public announcement of nylon as “the first man-made organic textile fabric prepared entirely from new materials from the mineral kingdom” Du Pont Corporate Information http://www.dupont.com (2002)http://www.dupont.com Du Pont History Archive http://www.heritage.dupont.com (2002)http://www.heritage.dupont.com

10. Presentation by G. Tavmen & S. Schinzel ESST 2002 Maastricht, NL Page 9 of 14 2.3 History 3 The Global View  Despite the Great Depression, Carothers’ Lab´s funding was never reduced  By 1931 silk was getting expensive and harder to find due to political and trade troubles with Japan  Du Pont was urged by the US government to make Nylon a reality as quick as possible  Nylon was a potential as a vital war material  During war Nylon replaced Asian silk and supplanted cotton Inventing Polymer Science (1998) Science and Corporate Strategy – Du Pont R&D (1992) Massachusetts Institute of Technology http://www.mit.edu (2002)http://www.mit.edu Information pool on the development of Chemistry http://www.chemheritage.org (2002)http://www.chemheritage.org

11. Presentation by G. Tavmen & S. Schinzel ESST 2002 Maastricht, NL Page 10 of 14 3.1 Outcome - Diagram I Du Pont The Lab Government Politics Economic Issues War Great Depression

12. Presentation by G. Tavmen & S. Schinzel ESST 2002 Maastricht, NL Page 11 of 14 3.2 Outcome - Diagram II Du Pont The Lab Obligations Funding Production Technology Ready made science Carothers Chemists Technicians Instruments

13. Presentation by G. Tavmen & S. Schinzel ESST 2002 Maastricht, NL Page 12 of 14 4 Conclusion Conclusion:  Documents on history do shape the perceptions on subject:  Depending on the material used, it will lead (more or less) to a certain perception  Focused on a certain belief, proof in documents on history can always be found  By the usage of as various sources as possible, a perspective close to objectivity can be achieved …  BUT an ultimate objectivity can never be achieved as it will always depend on people’s (author’s, researcher’s,…) interpretations

14. Presentation by G. Tavmen & S. Schinzel ESST 2002 Maastricht, NL Page 13 of 14 4.1 Additional Remarks Additional Remarks:  Esp. for Du Pont their advertisement had great impact  Big impact of nylon on society (e.g..women started to shave their legs)  Interesting further development of Nylon & Du Pont

15. Presentation by G. Tavmen & S. Schinzel ESST 2002 Maastricht, NL Page 14 of 14 5 Questions & Discussion Thank you for your attention! -Any Questions? -Time for Discussion!!!