Ordered planar polymers created for the first time
Monday, February 13, 2012 - 15:31
in Physics & Chemistry
At ETH Zurich in 1920, the chemist Hermann Staudinger postulated the existence of macromolecules consisting of many identical modules strung together like a chain. For this he was initially rewarded with mockery and incomprehension in professional circles. But Staudinger was to be proven right: today the macromolecules described as polymers are known as plastics, and by 1950 one kilogram of them was already being produced per capita worldwide.