Innovation: Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) –  This synthetic plastic polymer is commonly used to produce plastic materials. It was first discovered in 1838 and is now one of the most widely used plastics in the world. It is the result of numerous chemists who have brought the product to its current state. Thus, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) always existed in nature and the innovations of its use crosses over many iterations of the synthetic polymer.

In 1838, French chemist and physicist Henri Victor Regnault (July 21, 1810 – January 19, 1878) and German chemist Eugen Baumann (December 12, 1846 – November 3, 1896) were working on the thermal properties of gases. They discovered that the polymer had materialized as a “white solid” within flasks filled with vinyl chloride gas. Neither thought much of the fact for the next 34 years.

In 1872, Baumann continued experimenting and was successful in synthesizing the compound and named it PVC.

Again, the innovation lay dormant until 1913, when German inventor Friedrich Heinrich August Klatte patented a process that used ultraviolet energy (sunlight) to polymerize vinyl chloride.

The production of PVC once again lay dormant while several companies attempted to find a use for PVC. In the early 1900s, the Russian organic chemist Ivan Ostromislensky (September 9, 1880 – January 16, 1939) and Fritz Klatte (March 28, 1880 – February 11, 1934), of the German chemical company Griesheim-Elektron, both attempted to use PVC in commercial products. However, difficulties in processing the rigid, sometimes brittle polymer thwarted their efforts.

In 1926, B.F. Goodrich Company hired chemist Waldo Lonsbury Semon (September 10, 1898 – May 26, 1999) to develop a method for plasticizing PVC by blending it with various additives, including the use of dibutyl phthalate, by 1933. Their purpose was to create a synthetic alternative for natural rubber. Unfortunately, the project ended at the onset of the depression. However, after the depression, Semon returned to the project and developed the innovative use of PVC as a water-resistant coating for fabrics. Sales were brisk, and by World War II, PVC became an insulator for wiring on military ships.

By the 1950s, the production of PVC was booming worldwide. Companies began testing out revolutionary uses for ‘vinyl’ PVC, finding new applications for the material in inflatable structures and fabric coatings. The construction industry soon welcomed the durable plastic, in large part due to its resistance to light, chemicals, and corrosion, which made it a prime commodity for building structures.

More specific to screenprinting, in 1969, Russell Mills approached Flexible Products Company about improving a plastisol ink for textile items that their ink technician had been working on. Flexible Products assigned to their chemical department, and their chemist, Donald “Don” Burl Pettry (December 10, 1928 – March 9, 2013), assisted by others, helped develop a plastisol ink for Russell Mills.