View source for Marlex

{{Short description|Synthetic material}}
{{More citations needed|date=April 2017}}
'''Marlex''' is a trademarked name for a crystalline [[polypropylene]] and [[high-density polyethylene]] (HDPE). These [[plastic]]s were invented by [[J. Paul Hogan]] and [[Robert Banks (chemist)|Robert Banks]], two research chemists at the [[Phillips Petroleum Company]] in 1951.

Interest in the material in the 1950s arose from its high melting point and tensile strength, making it more desirable than the more common form of polyethylene. For example, the medical community in 1958 was eager to use Marlex 50 crystalline polyethylene which softens at {{convert|260|F|C}}. Objects made of Marlex could be sterilized in high-temperature [[autoclave]]s without affecting their form.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=USHER|first1=FRANCIS C.|title=Tissue Reaction to Plastics|journal=A.M.A. Archives of Surgery|date=1 June 1958|volume=76|issue=6|page=997 |doi=10.1001/archsurg.1958.01280240155026|url=http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/fullarticle/557022|language=en|issn=0096-6908|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

Marlex was used by [[Wham-O]] for their [[Hula Hoop]]s in the 1950s, which helped create a market for this form of plastic. It is now an integral part to a wide variety of products and markets around the world. Additionally, it can be used surgically as a reinforcing mesh in [[inguinal hernia repair]].

==Notes==
{{More citations needed|date=April 2017}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Polymers]]


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