Wallace Carothers: More than the inventor of Nylon and Neoprene

Wallace Carothers was an active and a successful researcher in DuPont’s Wilmington experimental station, Delaware USA from the time he was hired there in 1928 till his untimely death in 1937. He has been credited with the inventions of Nylon and Neoprene. A careful analysis of the patenting trends by the inventor Wallace Carothers reveals that his first few patents were in the field of polyesters. This was followed by high experimental, and consequent patent activity in vinyl polymers, which was directed towards the Duprene polymer that later evolved into Neoprene product for DuPont. The vinyl polymer was an extension of the work conducted by Father Julius Nieuwland at Purdue University. The work and patents on polyamides exclusively did not start until 1934, but the results from these experiments yielded almost immediate commercial results for DuPont.