ABSTRACT
The development of polyethylene as an integral part of everyday life did not proceed smoothly. It was produced serendipitously several times before the utility of synthetic polymers was appreciated. It was not until the 1930s that chemists, attempting to produce an entirely different product, inadvertently created polyethylene and recognized its potential. Initially polyethylene was a highly branched low density material with a limited range of physical properties. Its commercialization was accelerated by the need for war materiel. In the 1950s new polymerization processes were developed that produced essentially linear polymers with higher densities, thus extending the range of polyethylenes available. In the 1960s the copolymerization of ethylene with small amounts of other alkenes extended the range of products even further. Currently, development is aimed at synthesizing polyethylene resins that have properties particularly suited for specific applications.
