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Accidental Discovery: Chemist Unlocked Electricity in Plastics
4 Sep
Summary
- Discovery of electricity-conducting plastics was accidental in 1967.
- A mistake led to a silvery film with metallic properties.
- This breakthrough earned a Nobel Prize and led to new technologies.
Japanese chemist Hideki Shirakawa, who shared the 2000 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discovering electricity-conducting plastics, died last month at 90. His groundbreaking work was largely the result of an accidental laboratory event in 1967.
While attempting to synthesize polyacetylene at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, an error caused an excessive amount of catalyst to be added. This mistake yielded not the expected powder, but a striking silvery film resembling metal.
Shirakawa's further research, including collaboration with Alan MacDiarmid, revealed that this oxidized film exhibited remarkable electrical conductivity, millions of times greater than usual plastics. This discovery, announced in 1977, opened doors for technologies like semiconductors and solar panels.
His initial ambition was to create plastics useful for ordinary people, a dream fulfilled by his Nobel-winning research. Shirakawa's legacy continues through the widespread commercial applications of conductive plastics.
