Stephanie Kwolek
Chemist who developed Kevlar, saving millions of lives through bullet-resistant material
Stephanie Kwolek (1923-2014), a Polish-American chemist at DuPont, transformed personal safety through her 1965 discovery of poly-paraphenylene terephthalamide - better known as Kevlar®. While searching for lightweight alternatives to steel in tires, she pioneered liquid crystal polymer solutions that could be spun into fibers five times stronger than steel by weight.
Kevlar's unique molecular structure provides:
| • High tensile strength | • Thermal stability |
| • Cut resistance | • Impact absorption |
This breakthrough material now protects:
- 2.1 million police officers through bulletproof vests (NIJ statistics)
- Military personnel from IED shrapnel
- Workers in hazardous industries
Kwolek's persistence in exploring unusual polymer solutions despite initial skepticism exemplifies how curiosity-driven research can yield world-changing innovations. Her National Inventors Hall of Fame induction (1994) recognizes this legacy.
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