Ana iya gano ci gaban robobi tun daga tsakiyar karni na 19. A wancan lokacin, domin biyan bukatun masana'antar yadi mai tasowa a Burtaniya, masana kimiyyar sinadarai sun hada sinadarai daban-daban, suna fatan yin bleach da rini. Masana kimiyyar sinadarai suna matukar son kwal, wanda sharar kwal ce da aka tara a cikin bututun hayaki na masana'antu da iskar gas ke samarwa.

William Henry Platinum, mataimakin dakin gwaje-gwaje a Cibiyar Kimiyyar Sinadarai ta Royal da ke Landan, yana ɗaya daga cikin mutanen da suka yi wannan gwajin. Wata rana, lokacin da platinum ke goge sinadaran da suka zube a kan benci a dakin gwaje-gwaje, an gano cewa an rina rigar da ta zama lavender wanda ba a saba gani ba a lokacin. Wannan binciken da aka yi ba zato ba tsammani ya sa platinum ta shiga masana'antar rini kuma daga ƙarshe ta zama miloniya.
Duk da cewa gano platinum ba filastik ba ne, wannan ganowar da aka yi ba zato ba tsammani yana da matuƙar muhimmanci domin yana nuna cewa ana iya samun mahaɗan da ɗan adam ya yi ta hanyar sarrafa kayan halitta na halitta. Masu kera sun fahimci cewa kayan halitta da yawa kamar itace, amber, roba, da gilashi ko dai suna da ƙaranci ko tsada sosai ko kuma ba su dace da samar da kayayyaki da yawa ba saboda suna da tsada sosai ko kuma ba su da isasshen sassauci. Kayan roba sune madadin da ya dace. Yana iya canza siffar a ƙarƙashin zafi da matsin lamba, kuma yana iya kiyaye siffar bayan sanyaya.
Colin Williamson, wanda ya kafa ƙungiyar London Society for the History of Plastics, ya ce: "A wancan lokacin, mutane suna fuskantar neman madadin da ba shi da tsada kuma mai sauƙin canzawa."
Bayan platinum, wani Ba’amurke, Alexander Parks, ya haɗa sinadarin chloroform da man castor don samun wani abu mai tauri kamar ƙwarƙwarar dabbobi. Wannan shine robar roba ta farko. Parks yana fatan amfani da wannan robar da ɗan adam ya ƙera don maye gurbin robar da ba za a iya amfani da ita sosai ba saboda farashin shuka, girbi, da sarrafa ta.
Ɗan New York, John Wesley Hyatt, maƙeri, ya yi ƙoƙarin yin ƙwallon biliyard da kayan wucin gadi maimakon ƙwallon biliyard da aka yi da hauren giwa. Duk da cewa bai magance wannan matsalar ba, ya gano cewa ta hanyar haɗa camphor da wani adadin mai narkewa, ana iya samun kayan da zai iya canza siffa bayan dumamawa. Hyatt ya kira wannan kayan celluloid. Wannan sabon nau'in filastik yana da halaye na injuna da ma'aikata marasa ƙwarewa suna samar da shi da yawa. Yana kawo wa masana'antar fina-finai wani abu mai ƙarfi da sassauƙa wanda zai iya nuna hotuna a bango.
Celluloid ya kuma haɓaka ci gaban masana'antar rikodin gida, kuma daga ƙarshe ya maye gurbin farkon rikodin silinda. Ana iya amfani da robobi na baya don yin rikodin vinyl da tef ɗin cassette; a ƙarshe, ana amfani da polycarbonate don yin ƙananan faifan diski.
Celluloid ya sa daukar hoto aiki ne mai fa'ida a kasuwa. Kafin George Eastman ya ƙirƙiri celluloid, daukar hoto abin sha'awa ne mai tsada da wahala domin mai ɗaukar hoton dole ne ya ƙirƙiri fim ɗin da kansa. Eastman ya fito da wata sabuwar dabara: abokin ciniki ya aika fim ɗin da aka gama zuwa shagon da ya buɗe, kuma ya ƙirƙiri fim ɗin ga abokin ciniki. Celluloid shine kayan farko mai haske wanda za a iya yi shi da siririn takarda kuma za a iya naɗe shi zuwa kyamara.
A kusan wannan lokacin, Eastman ya haɗu da wani matashi ɗan ƙasar Belgium, Leo Beckeland. Baekeland ya gano wani nau'in takarda da ke da matuƙar sauƙin amfani da haske. Eastman ya sayi ƙirar Beckland akan dala 750,000 na Amurka (daidai da dala miliyan 2.5 na yanzu). Tare da kuɗi a hannunta, Baekeland ya gina dakin gwaje-gwaje. Kuma a cikin 1907 ya ƙirƙiro filastik mai siffar phenolic.
Wannan sabon kayan ya samu babban nasara. Kayayyakin da aka yi da filastik phenolic sun haɗa da wayoyin tarho, kebul mai rufi, maɓallai, injinan propeller na jirgin sama, da ƙwallon billiard masu inganci.
Kamfanin Parker Pen yana yin alkalaman marmaro daban-daban daga filastik mai siffar phenolic. Domin tabbatar da ƙarfin robobi masu siffar phenolic, kamfanin ya yi zanga-zanga a bainar jama'a kuma ya sauke alkalamin daga gine-ginen dogayen gine-gine. Mujallar "Time" ta sadaukar da wani labarin murfin don gabatar da wanda ya ƙirƙira robobi masu siffar phenolic da wannan kayan da za a iya "amfani da su sau dubbai"
Shekaru kaɗan bayan haka, dakin gwaje-gwajen DuPont shi ma ya sake samun wani ci gaba ba zato ba tsammani: ya yi nailan, wani samfuri da ake kira siliki na wucin gadi. A shekarar 1930, Wallace Carothers, wani masanin kimiyya da ke aiki a dakin gwaje-gwajen DuPont, ya nutsar da sandar gilashi mai zafi a cikin wani dogon sinadarin kwayoyin halitta kuma ya sami wani abu mai laushi. Duk da cewa tufafin da aka yi da nailan na farko sun narke a ƙarƙashin zafin ƙarfe mai yawa, mai ƙirƙira Carothers ya ci gaba da gudanar da bincike. Kimanin shekaru takwas bayan haka, DuPont ya gabatar da nailan.
An yi amfani da nailan sosai a fagen, parachute da igiyar takalma duk an yi su ne da nailan. Amma mata suna da sha'awar amfani da nailan. A ranar 15 ga Mayu, 1940, matan Amurka sun sayar da nau'i-nau'i miliyan 5 na safa na nailan da DuPont ya samar. Safa na nailan sun yi karanci, kuma wasu 'yan kasuwa sun fara yin kamar safa na nailan ne.
Amma labarin nasarar nailan yana da ƙarshen abin tausayi: wanda ya ƙirƙira shi, Carothers, ya kashe kansa ta hanyar shan cyanide. Steven Finnichell, marubucin littafin "Plastic", ya ce: "Na sami ra'ayi bayan karanta littafin Carothers: Carothers ya ce an yi amfani da kayan da ya ƙirƙira don samar da kayan mata. Safa ya ji takaici sosai. Malami ne, wanda hakan ya sa ya ji kamar ba za a iya jurewa ba." Ya ji cewa mutane za su yi tunanin cewa babban nasararsa ba komai ba ce illa ƙirƙirar "kayan kasuwanci na yau da kullun."
Duk da cewa DuPont ya yi sha'awar kayayyakinsa da mutane ke so. Birtaniya ta gano amfani da robobi da yawa a fagen soja a lokacin yaƙin. An gano wannan binciken ne bisa kuskure. Masana kimiyya a dakin gwaje-gwaje na Royal Chemical Industry Corporation na Burtaniya suna gudanar da wani gwaji wanda ba shi da alaƙa da wannan, kuma sun gano cewa akwai farin kakin zuma a ƙasan bututun gwaji. Bayan gwaje-gwajen dakin gwaje-gwaje, an gano cewa wannan abu abu ne mai kyau na kariya. Halayensa sun bambanta da gilashi, kuma raƙuman radar na iya ratsawa ta cikinsa. Masana kimiyya suna kiransa polyethylene, kuma suna amfani da shi don gina gida don tashoshin radar don kama iska da ruwan sama, don radar ta ci gaba da kama jiragen sama na abokan gaba a ƙarƙashin hazo mai yawa da ruwan sama.
Williamson na Ƙungiyar Tarihin Plastics ya ce: "Akwai dalilai biyu da suka haifar da ƙirƙirar robobi. Ɗaya daga cikinsu shine sha'awar samun kuɗi, ɗayan kuma shine yaƙi." Duk da haka, shekarun da suka biyo baya ne suka sanya robobi su zama Finney. Chell ya kira shi alamar "ƙarni na kayan roba." A shekarun 1950, kwantena na abinci da aka yi da robobi, tuluna, akwatunan sabulu da sauran kayayyakin gida suka bayyana; a shekarun 1960, kujeru masu hura iska sun bayyana. A shekarun 1970, masu rajin kare muhalli sun nuna cewa robobi ba za su iya lalata su da kansu ba. Sha'awar mutane ga kayayyakin filastik ta ragu.
Duk da haka, a shekarun 1980 da 1990, saboda yawan buƙatar robobi a masana'antun kera motoci da kwamfuta, robobi sun ƙara ƙarfafa matsayinsu. Ba zai yiwu a musanta wannan abu na yau da kullun ba. Shekaru hamsin da suka gabata, duniya ta iya samar da dubban tan na robobi kowace shekara; a yau, samar da robobi a duniya kowace shekara ya wuce tan miliyan 100. Samar da robobi a Amurka kowace shekara ya wuce haɗakar samar da ƙarfe, aluminum da tagulla.
Sabbin robobihar yanzu ana gano sabbin abubuwa. Williamson na Ƙungiyar Tarihin Plastics ya ce: “Masu zane da masu ƙirƙira za su yi amfani da robobi a cikin ƙarni na gaba. Babu wani kayan iyali da ke kama da robobi wanda ke ba masu zane da masu ƙirƙira damar kammala samfuransu a farashi mai rahusa. ƙirƙira.