Nylon would not be possible if not for a company named Du Pont and a scientist called Wallace Carothers. Remember Staudinger, the father of polymer chemistry? His research sparked the interest of chemists and paved way to more and more discoveries in polymers.
Many chemical companies worked day and night to form new fibres that would create a revolution in the market. Du Pont was one among them. This American company worked to explore the commercial applications of polymers. Wallace Carothers joined Du Pont around the same time.
Wallace could create tiny fibres in a test tube when he experimented with amine, hexamethylenediamine and adipic acid. But, the presence of water restricted the formation of long fibres. He tried removing water obtained in the reaction and guess what? He could make long fibres through a process called cold drawing. Thus, a new polymer took birth and was named nylon. This happened in the 1930s.
Nylon was brought into the market in the 1940s. A crisis of natural fibres came along with other hardships of World War II. Chemists tried to develop a new fabric that could provide an alternative for natural clothing. Rayon was already discovered. Nylon too provided a cheap alternative and became a huge success in the market.
Picture Credit : Google