Experiments with polymers led him to create breathable and waterproof materials for a variety of applications, including ski jackets and medical implants.

Give any friend a story

As a subscriber, you have 10 gifts to send every month. Anyone can read what you share.

Chemical engineer Robert Gore died on September 17 in his holiday home in Cecil County. Experiments with polymers in his laboratory unknowingly led to the invention of Gore-Tex , Gore-Tex is a multifunctional waterproof material for ski jackets, aortic stent grafts and space suits. MD He is 83 years old.

According to a statement issued by his family, the cause was cancer.

Mr. Gore's $1 billion invention was born of failure and frustration. In 1969, as the head of research and development at WL Gore & Associates (a manufacturing company founded by his parents), his task was to create a cheap plumber tape for customers. The tape is made of polytetrafluoroethylene or PTFE and is usually known under the brand name Teflon.

Mr. Gore tries to use materials more efficiently by stretching them, which is different from Silly Putty. But every time he heated and stretched a PTFE rod in the laboratory, it would break in half.

"Everything I did seems to be worse than what we are already doing," he told the Institute for the History of Science in a short film. "So I decided to give one of these rods a huge stretch, quickly—a bastard. I gave it a huge impact and it stretched 1,000%. I was stunned."

Twelve years ago, as a college student, his father, WL Gore, was a chemist at DuPont and later became an entrepreneur. He came up with a way to use PTFE to coat copper wires found in early computers. This innovation led to the signing of a contract with IBM and the launch of a family business.

But his expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) proved to be a rich discovery. The company's patented and registered Gore-Tex microporous material has excellent quality and countless uses.

The earliest and most common one is as a laminate in fabrics. It allows sweat to escape, but prevents water droplets from entering, making it ideal for camping equipment, ski suits and other outdoor clothing.

In 1976, the first commercial product using Gore-Tex was a camping tent. By the mid-1980s, LL Bean, Eddie Bauer and other clothing brands began to sell Gore-Tex jackets, raincoats and parkas, which were worn by rough climbers and fashionable Manhattanites.

Mr. Gore became the President and CEO of WL Gore & Associates in 1976 and sought new applications for his inventions. He would stand in a storm to check the waterproofness of clothing and footwear, and his home was full of prototypes. He dialed the company's 800 number to ensure that customer service was up to standard.

"Bob is the one who made things happen," said Bret Snyder, chairman of WL Gore & Associates and nephew of Mr. Gore, in a telephone interview. "He is not only passionate about theory, but also passionate about the way products work in the hands of customers."

Robert Walton Gore was born in Salt Lake City on April 15, 1937. When his father Bill was hired by DuPont after World War II, the family moved to the east, lived in different towns, and then settled in Newark, Delaware.

One of DuPont’s newest products in those years was Teflon, which Bill Gore believed did not get the most development. In 1958, he left DuPont and, together with his wife Genevieve (Walton) Gore, founded WL Gore & Associates in the basement of his home to handle this material. Ms. Gore is secretary and treasurer. The couple are equal partners.

During that time, the young Gore received a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Delaware, and later a master's degree and doctorate degree. PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Minnesota. In 1963, he joined WL Gore & Associates, when the company had left the basement of the home and had achieved success in the production of wire and cable products for the computer and aerospace industries.

During the Apollo 11 moon landing, the company's coated cable was used to connect the seismograph to the lunar lander. Fifty years later, the Mars rover launched in July was equipped with the company's wire and cable products.

With decades of development, the use of Gore-Tex seems to be expanding, just like the polymer itself. They include medical implants, industrial filters, biopharmaceutical packaging, fuel cells for electric vehicles, emergency crew uniforms, and even guitar strings. (EPTFE coated strings can reduce the accumulation of oil, cells and dirt on the player's fingers, resulting in better sound quality.)

Mr. Gore’s wife Jane (Arnold) Gore survived; three sons, Scott, Tom, and Brian; one daughter, Sharon Rubin; six stepchildren, Debi Moore, Jayne Mitchell-Werbrich, Jack Arnold, and Tom Coons, Chris Coons, and Steve Coons; four siblings, Susan Gore, Ginger Giovale, Dave Gore, and Betty Snyder; 28 grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.

In the film of the Institute of the History of Science, Mr. Gore said that his father was an energetic optimist, and his mother was the "heart of the enterprise" and nurtured employees' careers. Many people believe that Mr. Gore combined these qualities to become a leader. By 1996, his privately held company had sales of more than $1 billion. He stepped down as president in 2000.

Mr. Snyder recalled the nervous excitement of showing Mr. Gore a new product. Mr. Gore adopted his father's business motto: "Jump in and see if you can swim."

"He is very curious about things; he is strict," Mr. Snyder said. "Bob has any ideas."