"He and Dr. Carothers would be in a corner of the lab discussing the test data and planning modification of the chemistry for the next batch [of polymer]. Dr. Carothers, I believe, had a better rapport with Dr. Flory than with the other chemists." -Joe Labovsky

Paul Flory (1910-1985) came to DuPont in 1934 after earning his doctorate at The Ohio State University. His background was in physical chemistry, and he was introduced to polymers by Wallace Carothers. Their interests meshed nicely. Carothers was always interested in understanding, not merely exploiting, what he observed in the lab. Flory had a stronger background in mathematics and physical chemistry than Carothers. Flory aided Carothers in refining his theories of step-growth polymerization, describing the process in mathematical detail.

Once the science of nylon had been accomplished, and the engineers were developing processes to produce it, Carothers turned away from nylon and spent most of his time working with Flory refining the theoretical basis of nylon science.

After Wallace Carothers died in 1937, DuPont no longer involved itself in pure science. For a theoretician such as Flory, the new reality was not one for which he was well suited, and he left the company, spending most of his career in academics.

He further refined the theories of step-growth polymerization behavior after leaving DuPont. His theories described the behavior of polymer solutions and blends, the elastic behavior of rubber, and even liquid crystals. His theories still form the basis of polymer science today. He received the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1974. He remained active in science his entire life. He died in 1985, suffering a heart attack in Big Sur, California.