Alan MacDiarmid
A curious tinkerer who transformed plastics from insulators into conductors, sparking a revolution in electronics and winning a Nobel Prize.
1927–2007 (age 80)·American-New Zealand chemist·Birthday: April 14·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Alan MacDiarmid's scientific journey began in the hills of New Zealand, where a childhood chemistry set ignited a lifelong passion. His path took him from a university education funded in part by gold prospecting to the laboratories of America. It was there, at the University of Pennsylvania, that his most famous collaboration began. Working with physicist Alan Heeger and chemist Hideki Shirakawa, MacDiarmid helped discover that a plastic polymer, polyacetylene, could be chemically treated to conduct electricity like a metal. This breakthrough, creating what they called 'synthetic metals,' upended the fundamental assumption that plastics were only good for insulation. The field of conductive polymers was born, leading to innovations in lightweight batteries, anti-static coatings, and flexible electronic displays. For this paradigm-shifting work, the trio shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2000.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Alan was born in 1927, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Alan Was Born
The biggest hits of 1927
#1 Movie
Wings
Alan's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1927Born
Lindbergh flies solo across the Atlantic; The Jazz Singer premieres
President: Calvin Coolidge"My Blue Heaven" — Gene Austin
1932Started school
Amelia Earhart flies solo across the Atlantic
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Night and Day" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Grand Hotel
1940Became a teenager
The Blitz: Germany bombs London
Gas: $0.18/galHome: $2,938Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I'll Never Smile Again" — Tommy DorseyBest Picture: Rebecca
1943Could drive
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1945Could vote
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1948Turned 21
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1957Turned 30
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1967Turned 40
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1977Turned 50
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1987Turned 60
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 70
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 80
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
Key Achievements
- Co-discovered conductive polymers, pioneering the field of plastic electronics, for which he shared the 2000 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
- Published over 600 scientific papers and held numerous patents related to polymeric and organic materials.
- Helped establish the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology in New Zealand, a leading research center.
- Received the Order of New Zealand, the country's highest civil honor, for his services to science.
Did You Know?
As a teenager during World War II, he worked as a 'lab boy' for the Wellington Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.
He partially financed his university education by working as a 'gold assayer' during summer breaks.
He maintained dual citizenship in New Zealand and the United States throughout his later life.
The conductive polymer discovery began with a chance conversation about a 'silvery' film of polyacetylene with Hideki Shirakawa at a coffee break in Tokyo.
“'I was just a boy from New Zealand who was curious about how things worked.'”
