High-performance Polymers

The earliest high-performance polymers, Teflon and the silicones, were developed just before the Second World War and the production of these polymers was spurred by wartime demands. The 1950s and 1960s witnessed the development of a number of high-performance plastics including the transparent polycarbonates, poly(phenylene oxide) (PPO), polysulphones and polybenzimidazoles (PBI). Du Pont's pioneering research department created three new fibres—stretchy Lycra®, flame-resistant Nomex® and the enormously strong Kevlar®.