Synthetic Fibers:

History

Nylon was the first successful syntheticpolymer.Itwasinvented, in 1935, by Wallace Carothers at DuPont,toreplacesilk. Itwentinto generalproductioninthe1940sbut becauseofWWII,theproductionof nylon for stockings ceased and was diverted to making parachutes.Itwassuchasuccess after World War II, that stockings areoftenreferredtoasnylons.The demandfornylonstockingswasso great that riots were commonplace when stores were out of stock. Two trademarked fibers are called Tactel, Cordura, andGore-Tex.

Technicalproperties

Nylon is referred to as polyamide 6,6 or polyamide 6, meaning the number of carbon atoms in each monomerunit.Itismelt-spunand created from the byproducts of petroleum industry waste materials. Nylon is light but also durable and resistant to abrasion. Itishighandluster,elastic,easyto wash, quick drying, and good shape retention. The nylon fiber is transparent and has a round cross-section.