The Myriad Uses of Stronger Than Steel Kevlar

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© Compound Interest

The Myriad Uses of Stronger Than Steel Kevlar

You’ve probably read of the recent death of Stephanie Kwolek, the American chemist who discovered Kevlar. Most people have almost certainly heard of Kevlar, in the context of bullet-proof vests, but fewer are probably aware of the vast range of applications it has, or the chemical reasons behind its strength.

The discovery of Kevlar was almost an accident. Kwolek was working at the chemical company DuPont, and trying to develop a fibre that could be used to make strong but lightweight tyres for cars, when she noticed a mix of some of the polymers she was working with had formed an thin, cloudy solution. This solution was usually thrown away; however she decided to send a sample for tests, and it was found to be much stronger than other comparable fibres such as nylon. Although she was not particularly involved with the subsequent development of applications for Kevlar, these would not have been possible without her discovery.