how was styrofoam invented
Styrofoam Â® is a Dow Chemical Co. trademarked form of polystyrene foam insulation, introduced in the U.S. in 1954. StyrofoamÂ® is a trademarked name, the real name of the product is foamed polystyrene. Ray McIntire invented Styrofoam for the Dow Chemical Co.. McIntire said his invention of foamed polystyrene was accidental. His invention came as he was trying to find a flexible electrical insulator around the time of World War II. Polystyrene, which already had been invented, was a good insulator but too brittle. McIntire tried to make a new rubber-like polymer by combining styrene with isobutylene, a volatile liquid, under pressure. The result was a foam polystyrene with bubble, 30 times lighter than regular polystyrene.