Chapter 01 of 5
The Ivory Imposter
How a billiard ball crisis birthed Celluloid, the first semi-synthetic.
- The Crisis
The Cost of a Game
In the mid-1800s, the popularity of billiards threatened the elephant population. A single tusk could only provide enough ivory for about three high-quality balls.
- The Incentive
A $10,000 Bounty
Billiard ball manufacturer Phelan & Collender offered a massive $10,000 prize to anyone who could invent a viable ivory substitute.
- The Base Material
From Trees to Plastic
Early experimenters turned to cellulose, the structural polymer found in plant cell walls, as their starting point.
17 more cards in this chapter
Could you answer this?
What ingredient was added to nitrocellulose to create the moldable material known as Celluloid?
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🧪 Celluloid to Carbon Fiber: The Polymer Path
- 01The Ivory ImposterHow a billiard ball crisis birthed Celluloid, the first semi-synthetic.
- 02Bakelite’s Iron GripLeo Baekeland’s quest for a synthetic resin that wouldn't melt.
- 03The Nylon RevolutionEngineering the 'forever' chain through long-chain polymers.
- 04Super-Polymers & Carbon FiberReaching the peak of performance with high-modulus composites.
- 05The Ghost in the MoleculeThe durability paradox and the future of degradable polymers.