Donald F. Holmes

Donald Fletcher Holmes
Born	(1910-09-29)29 September 1910 Woodbury, New Jersey
Died	13 October 1980(1980-10-13) (aged 70)
Alma mater	Amherst College (1931) University of Illinois
Known for	Co-inventor of the process to develop multipurpose material polyurethane
Awards	National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductee (1991)
Scientific career
Fields	Chemistry
Institutions	DuPont

Donald Fletcher Holmes (September 29, 1910 – October 13, 1980) was an American chemist and inventor. Holmes, along with William Hanford, invented the process for making the multipurpose material polyurethane.[1] He received the polyurethane patent in 1942.[1] Mixing polyols and hydroxyl compounds with di-isocyanates is the basis today for the manufacture of all polyurethanes. Polyurethane can be used in, but is not limited to, life-saving artificial hearts, safety padding in modern automobiles, and in carpeting.

Holmes was born in Woodbury, New Jersey.[1] In 1931, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Organic Chemistry from Amherst College in Massachusetts. He would later earn a master's and doctorate from the University of Illinois.[1] Holmes was posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1991.[1]

Key patent

• Hanford, U.S. Patent 2,284,896, “Process For Making Polymeric Products And For Modifying Polymeric Products”

References

1. Invent Now Hall of Fame – Donald Fletcher Holmes Archived 2008-07-25 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 16, 2008.