Robert L. Banks (November 24, 1921 – January 3, 1989) was an American
chemist
A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe th ...
. He was born and grew up in
Piedmont, Missouri. He attended the
University of Missouri - Rolla, and initiated into
Alpha Phi Omega
Alpha Phi Omega (), commonly known as APO, but also A-Phi-O and A-Phi-Q, is a coeducational service fraternity. It is the largest collegiate fraternity in the United States, with chapters at over 350 campuses, an active membership of over 25, ...
in 1940. He joined the
Phillips Petroleum
Phillips Petroleum Company was an American oil company incorporated in 1917 that expanded into petroleum refining, marketing and transportation, natural gas gathering and the chemicals sectors. It was Phillips Petroleum that first found oil in th ...
company in 1946 and worked there until he retired in 1985. He died in
Missouri
Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...
on January 3, 1989.
Technical contributions
He was a fellow research chemist of
J. Paul Hogan. They began working together in 1946, and in 1951 invented "crystalline
polypropylene
Polypropylene (PP), also known as polypropene, is a thermoplastic polymer used in a wide variety of applications. It is produced via chain-growth polymerization from the monomer propylene.
Polypropylene
belongs to the group of polyolefins a ...
" and
high-density polyethylene
High-density polyethylene (HDPE) or polyethylene high-density (PEHD) is a thermoplastic polymer produced from the monomer ethylene. It is sometimes called "alkathene" or "polythene" when used for HDPE pipes. With a high strength-to-density rat ...
(HDPE). These
plastic
Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adapta ...
s were initially known by the name
Marlex. The polymerization of ethylene was made possible by their discovery of the so-called
Phillips catalyst.
Recognition
In 1987, Banks and Hogan won the
Perkin Medal, and in 2001 they were inducted into the
National Inventors Hall of Fame.
Both were given a ''
Heroes of Chemistry'' award by the
American Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all ...
in 1989.
Dr. Banks was inducted into the
Plastics Hall of Fame in 2014.
References
External links
Robert Banks biography at National Inventors Hall of Fame
1921 births
1989 deaths
Polymer scientists and engineers
Missouri University of Science and Technology alumni
20th-century American inventors
Chemists from Missouri
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