Nylon is one of the most important chemical discoveries of the 20th century. It is one of the toughest, strongest and most elastic substances we have today. It is a synthetic plastic material which is made from chemicals derived from coal, water, air, petroleum, agricultural by-products and natural gas.
It was first developed by a research team headed by a U.S. chemist Wallace H. Carothers working in E.I. Dupant de Nemours & Co. He began experimenting with it in the 1920s. In 1935, he produced the first piece of nylon. It was converted into cloth in 1937.
Nylon is made from two chemical compounds: Hexamethylenediamine and Adipic acid. Hexamethylenediamine consists of carbon, nitrogen and hydrogen. Adipic acid contains carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Each of these substances contains six carbon atoms and the nylon produced by them has been named as Nylon-6, 6. Manufacturers combine the two compounds to form a substance called nylon salt. A solution of nylon salt is placed in an autoclave (a heating device). The autoclave heats the solution under pressure. Water is removed and the small molecules in the compound combine to form large molecules. This process is called polymerization.
When caprolactam is used as the starting material, Nylon -6, 6 is obtained. It has been so named because it has six carbon atoms in the basic unit. It is comparatively a recent development.
In some factories, the newly made nylon comes out of the machines as a plastic ribbon. This is then cooled, and cut into small pieces. Nylon fibres are made by forcing molten nylon through tiny holes in a device called spinneret. The thin streams of nylon that come out of the spinneret harden into filaments when they come in contact with air. Then they are wound into bobbins. From a single bobbin, as many as 2520 filaments are united into a textile nylon yarn. The fibres are drawn or stretched after they cool. The stretching action causes molecules in the fibre to fall into straight lines and make the fibres stronger and more elastic.
Nylon can be formed into fibres, bristles, sheets, rods, tubes and coatings. It can also he rendered into powdered form for making moulds.
Nylon fibres resist mildew and not harmed by most kinds of oil, grease and household cleaning fluids. It absorbs little water.
Nylon is used to make many articles of clothing, parachutes, carpets, ropes, fishing lines and upholstery. It is also used in tyres and bristles in many types of brushes. Solid pieces of nylon are used to make bearings, gears and small machine parts. Unlike metal parts nylon bearings and machine parts need little lubrication.
Recently a nylon derivative known as Qiana has been developed. It is a silk-like fibre used in clothing. Thus nylon has proved to be useful in many ways.