In 1930, a chemist was testing a rubbery polymer found it hardened the wrong way, and PVC moved into pipes, raincoats, and records

A chemist named Waldo Semon sought rubber but found a stubborn polymer. His accidental discovery led to flexible PVC. This ...
Nature

Poly(vinyl chloride) degradation: identification of acidic degradation products, their emission rates, and implications for heritage collections

The degradation of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) is a potential risk to the objects themselves and their surroundings. In this work, we study the acidic emissions ...