Applications discovered in the 20th century include zeolite and platinum-based catalysts for petroleum processing in the 1950s , high-purity silicon as a core component of microelectronic devices in the 1960s , and `` high temperature '' superconductivity in the 1980s .
There were many important discoveries in the 20th century : zeolite and platinum-based catalysts for petroleum processing in the 1950s , high-purity silicon as a core component of microelectronic devices in the 1960s , and `` high temperature '' superconductivity in the 1980s .