If you’re a metro D.C. resident like me, you’re likely headed for water and sunshine along the beaches of the Eastern Shore this Labor Day weekend, or maybe a quiet canoe ride across Maryland’s Deep Creek Lake, or a whitewater rafting trip down the Gauley River.
Whichever you choose, chemistry will have your back. Literally.
I’m talking about the chemistry that goes into personal flotation devices (PFDs), more commonly known as life preservers or life jackets. Designed primarily to keep our heads above water during an emergency, PFDs also help keep our bodies afloat while water skiing, rafting, kayaking, snorkeling, sailing or just plain swimming.
A great deal of thought, design considerations and innovative materials go into crafting these life-saving devices – chemistry one of the most important among them.
Before 1900, life preservers were made from natural materials like cork and balsa wood; and later, kapok, a vegetable fiber found in tropical tree pods. With the 1960s came the flotherchoc, a lighter, more flexible vest made out of small, air-filled vinyl packets enclosed in nylon chambers.
But none of these was very good at maintaining buoyancy over time, especially if punctured. That’s when plastics – one of the most versatile chemistry products ever – entered the picture.
Today, life vests are made from closed-cell foam or foamed plastics which are encased in nylon, along with non-corrosive plastic zippers and snaps to keep the preservers strapped to our bodies. The materials are softer, more durable, comfortable, easier to clean and highly resistant to mildew and rot – all thanks to chemistry.
Manufacturers continue to work with designers to take comfort, inflation and buoyancy of modern life preservers to the next level. In fact, for the past five years, the BoatUS Foundation has held an “Innovation in Life Jacket Design Competition,” calling for out-of-the-box life jacket design concepts.
You might guess what the winning products all had in common: chemistry.
Photo via BoatUS.com
