Stephanie Kwolek didn't have enough money to study medicine, so she joined DuPont as a temporary employee, but the work turned out to be so interesting that she stayed on. Relying on experience, instinct and great determination, she invented one of the modern world's most readily recognised and widely used materials: Kevlar®.
Invented in 1965 as a result of research with high performance chemical compounds, Kevlar® was first used commercially in the early 1970s. It was meant to replace steel belts in vehicle tyres, as it is five times stronger than the same weight of steel, does not rust nor corrode and is extremely lightweight. Further developments resulted in Kevlar® being used in bullet proof vests for police officers. Kevlar® can be used as-is, or in the construction of composite component.
Other applications of the compound include underwater cables, brake linings, space vehicles, boats, parachutes, skis, building materials and more.
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