Nylon

NYLON

Nylon was first made in the laboratories of E.I. du Pont de Nemours, of Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A., under the direction of the late Dr. W. H. Carothers as a result of researches started 1928. In October, 1938, it -was announced to the world that a new form of textile fibre had been made by man, and that " nylon " was to be its name. Nylon stockings were on sale to the general public in U.S.A. on May 15, 1940, and many other items of wearing apparel were shown at the New York Pair that summer. In Great Britain, plans made jointly before the war by Courtaulds and Imperial Chemical Industries were responsible for production being started in 1941 by British Nylon Spinners Limited. The " 66 " polymer (each molecule of these reagents contains 6 carbon atoms and hence the name or designation " 66 ") was first made in 1935. Nylon is a name, not for a single material, but for a whole class or family of entirely new materials. There are many nylons and there may be many more. Nylon is the generic or family name for them all, just as glass and coal are names of classes of substances. Nylon, in the general sense, is a man-made material having a chemical composition akin to proteins, of which silk, hair and wool are examples, although nylon has not an exact counterpart in nature. It is not an " artificial " product, nor a man-made copy of a natural material. It can be made up into powders, sheets, solutions, strands or yarns, each with special properties according to requirements. The " 66 " polymer, from which yam is made, was synthesised in 1933, although not announced to the world until October, 1938. The raw material from which the diamine and acid for making " 66 " polymer are obtained are phenol from coal, oxygen and nitrogen from the air, and hydrogen from water. Particularly suitable where high elasticity is required. Uses include parachute fabrics, tyre cords, glider tow ropes, shoe laces webbing, braid, tape and thread, fully-fashioned hosiery, seamless hosiery, underwear fabrics, lace, nets, dress fabrics, marquisettes, neckties, transparent velvet, coated fabrics for raincoats and food covers. Industrial uses include shoe fabrics, sash cords, window screens, filters and bolting fabrics, also slip covers, motor car upholstery, shirtings, tents and shower curtains.