ALEXANDRIA, Va. (April 14, 2016) — The inventors of butyl rubber, used widely as the air impermeable inner liner for most tires, will be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) in May in recognition of their contributions to “American life, progress, innovation and culture.”
William J. Sparks and Robert M. Thomas co-invented poly-isobutylene-co-isoprene — commonly known as butyl rubber — while conducting research at Standard Oil Co.'s laboratory in Linden, N.J., in 1937, according to NIHF and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the co-hosts of the induction ceremony scheduled for May 4-5 at the Hall of Fame in Alexandria.