Rayon
In pursuit of an improved carbon filament for his lamps, Swan experimented with cellulose. Cellulose (derived from wood pulp which has been treated with chemical reagents) forms a viscous solution when added to carbon disulphide and sodium hydroxide. In 1883, Swan passed his solution through the perforations of a spinneret into an acid bath to form fibres of 'artificial silk'. While Swan used the fibres for his filaments, his wife created fabrics and these were exhibited in London in 1885. In 1889 a French chemist, Louis Comte de Chardonnet, developed the process for the textile industry.5 By 1924, artificial silk had become known as rayon and today it is widely used, for example, in the production of clothing and surgical products.
Swan was a scientist first; businessman second although his inventions had lasting commercial applications:
If I could have had the power of choice of the particular space of time within which my life should be spent I believe I would have chosen precisely my actual lifetime. What a glorious time it has been! Surely no other 78 years in all the long history of the world ever produced an equal harvest of invention and discovery for the beneficial use and enlightenment of mankind.
Swan (1906) quoted. in Clouth, p.[1].
