Kwolek Receives Lifetime Achievement Award For Discovery Of Kevlar

The Lemelson-MIT Program (Cambridge, MA) has named retired DuPont (Wilmington, DE) scientist Stephanie Kwolek the recipient of the fifth annual Lifetime Achievement Award. Kwolek was selected because of her innovations in the field of polymers, particularly those discoveries that led to the development of the fiber that ultimately became Kevlar, the high-strength fiber used in an extraordinary range of consumer and industrial products.

Kwolek's research revolutionized the polymers industry in the 1960s, when she developed the first liquid crystal polymer fiber, a new type of synthetic material. She first began to experiment with various polymers, and by 1964 prepared the first pure monomers that could be used to synthesize poly-parabenzamide (PBA). Kwolek was interested in the process behind this synthesis, which involved intermediates that were ultra-sensitive to moisture and heat, and too easily underwent self-polymerization and decomposition in reaction to water.

Her research into this process began with finding all acceptable solvent and appropriate low-temperature polymerization conditions for these intermediates. The result was a fluid and cloudy aramid polymer solution that many researchers would have rejected; instead, acting on instinct, Kwolek spun out the solution, resulting in synthetic fibers that were astonishingly stiffer and stronger than any created in the past.

DuPont's Pioneering Lab began work on finding a commercial version of Kwolek's liquid crystal polymers, which resulted in the creation of Kevlar, a fiber five times stronger ounce-for-ounce than steel, with about half the density of fiberglass.

Of the many applications of Kevlar, its best-known use is in bulletproof vests; in this use alone Kwolek's discovery has saved thousands of lives. The fiber has found its way into almost every industry, from the automotive field to recreation to telecommunications. Kevlar can be found in products ranging from skis, superior bridge cables, and brake pads, to boats, fishing line, transmission belts, tires, and boots.

Kwolek continued polymer research at DuPont until her retirement in 1986, and continues to consult there part-time, where she serves as a respected mentor to young scientists—especially women. She is the recipient or co-recipient of 17 U.S. patents, including one for the spinning method that made commercial aramid fibers feasible, and five for the prototype from which Kevlar was created.

The Lifetime Achievement Award is conferred by the Lemelson-MIT Program, which recognizes the nation's most talented inventors and innovators and promotes living role models in the fields of science, engineering, medicine, and entrepreneurship in the hope of encouraging future generations to follow their example. One of America's most prolific inventors, Jerome H. Lemelson (1923–1997) and his wife, Dorothy, established the Lemelson-MIT Program at MIT in 1994.

For more information, call the Lemelson-MIT Awards Program at 617-253-3352.