[Interview] Spencer Silver, the developer of 'Post-it', dies



Spencer Silver, the scientist who developed 3M 's flagship product, Post-it, which is the prototype of sticky notes, disappeared on May 8, 2021. I was 80 years old.

3M Company --Spencer Silver, co-inventor of 3M Post-it® Notes, dies at 80
https://news.3m.com/English/3m-stories/3m-details/2021/Spencer-Silver-co-inventor-of-3M-Post-it-Notes-dies-at-80/default.aspx

Born in San Antonio, Texas, USA in 1941, Mr. Silver joined 3M's Central Research Institute in 1966 after earning a degree in chemistry from Arizona State University and the University of Colorado at Boulder.

In 1968, when Mr. Silver was working on adhesive research, he discovered a formulation of an adhesive that, unlike other adhesives, adheres lightly to the surface but does not adhere firmly. The adhesive discovered by Mr. Silver is called 'microsphere', and it has the property that it can be applied repeatedly without damaging the paper while maintaining sufficient viscosity to attach the paper. For years, Mr. Silver has been searching for uses for the adhesives he has discovered.

Then in 1974, Arthur Fry , a colleague of Mr. Silver, used Mr. Silver's adhesive as a bookmark because the paper bookmarks in the hymnbooks he used for worship fell off quickly. I came up with the idea. After that, Mr. Silver and Mr. Fly jointly proceeded with the development and released a bookmark with adhesive as a product called 'Post-it'. Post-it has grown to become 3M's flagship product later. 'I was one with Silver and was the best team for post-it development,' Fry later said.



Mr. Silver obtained 37 patents while at 3M and left 3M in 1996. Silver won several awards in 1998, including the American Chemical Society's Creative Invention Award, and was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame with Frey in 2010.

John Banovetz, 3M's chief technology officer and nicknamed Mr. Silver as 'Spence,' said, 'I'm proud to say that Spence was a'friend'and a'good counselor'. He was a wonderful man. '

in Posted by log1p_kr