An interesting tidbit about Alexander Mackendrick‘s The Man In The White Suit (1951) (one of the films I saw last night): one of the bits of technobabble mentions that the new indestructible dirt-repelling synthetic polymer threads are ”infinitely long molecular chains,” which would make them, in effect, molecular monofilaments. (They were presumably braided and/or twisted together to form a thread thick enough that one could see.) This causes problems in handling and cutting them; once it’s woven into a fabric, it requires an acetylene torch to cut them in order to make the titular suit. This may be one of the earliest occurrences of the concept in fiction.
It evidently doesn't occur to any of the characters that this could have other applications (save for one scene where Guinness’ character uses a spool of the thread to lower himself out a third-story window), and once they realize the fibers break down after a few days have passed (making it as tear-able as loose cotton), they scrap the whole thing. But, like Spider-Man’s web fluid (an incredibly strong adhesive polymer which crumbles to powder after an hour), there are many uses such a material could have in medical and construction fields.
