Back in 1909, Belgian-American chemist Leo Baekeland made a discovery for which he is still considered one of the most influential scientists in history: the discovery of Bakelite, the first thermosetting plastic material!
Studying two petroleum derivatives, phenol and the formeldehyde, he invented a material that, when heated and subjected to pressure, could polymerize and remain in a well-defined form that was difficult to change by thermal induction.
The main features of this first thermoset material include:
– Material hardness
– Solvent resistance
– Ease of processing
– Versatility in fields of use: electromechanical and electrical sector (switches, sockets), design and furniture sector, automotive sector, etc etc.
Leo Baekeland – Biography
The son of a shoemaker and a maid, Leo Baekeland became passionate about chemistry and physics early on, earning a PhD maxima cum laude at the sole age of 21 from the University of Ghent, Belgium. After marrying Céline Swarts in 1889, he moved to America.
In 1905 he began researching a synthetic alternative for shellac, a natural resin created from the excretion of a female insect, and invented Bakelite, the first synthetic plastic material in history.
Time magazine ranked him among the 100 greatest figures of the 20th century precisely because of his great discovery.
