The discovery of polycarbonatesheet dates back to the year 1898 when a German chemist named Alfred
Einhorn observed the formation of an insoluble and infusible solid while trying
to prepare cyclic carbonates by combining hydroquinone and phosgene. However,
polycarbonate was independently discovered in 1953 by Dr. H. Schnell of Germany
and D.W. Fox of USA. Since then, it has been used in commercial applications.
Dr. H. Schnell discovered polycarbonate in the laboratory when he was searching
for ways to advance his company’s technologies. On the other hand, D.W. Fox
unintentionally discovered the material while working on a wire-coating
material. Both of them filed for US patents in 1955. Both the companies began
commercial production of the material under their own trade name between 1958
and 1960. In 1960, polycarbonate started being used in police, fire, and ambulance
vehicles as bubble lights.
