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Understanding Nylon: Properties and Uses

Nylon is a synthetic polymer made of repeating units linked by amide bonds similar to peptide bonds in proteins. There are several types of nylon including nylon 66, nylon 6, and nylon 510. Nylon has properties like high strength, abrasion resistance, weather resistance, and heat resistance. It is used in applications that require durability like tires, ropes, fabrics, and carpets. Nylon is produced through a condensation polymerization reaction between monomers such as diamine and dicarboxylic acid monomers, forming long polymer chains.

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38 views2 pages

Understanding Nylon: Properties and Uses

Nylon is a synthetic polymer made of repeating units linked by amide bonds similar to peptide bonds in proteins. There are several types of nylon including nylon 66, nylon 6, and nylon 510. Nylon has properties like high strength, abrasion resistance, weather resistance, and heat resistance. It is used in applications that require durability like tires, ropes, fabrics, and carpets. Nylon is produced through a condensation polymerization reaction between monomers such as diamine and dicarboxylic acid monomers, forming long polymer chains.

Uploaded by

Dinia Mediani
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© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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NYLON

1. What is Nylon?
Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers, based on aliphatic or semi-
aromatic polyamides. It is made of repeating units linked by amide links similar to the peptide
bonds in proteins. Nylon polymers have found significant commercial applications in fabric and
fibers, in shapes, and in films. and the types of nylon are as follows :
 Nylon 66
 Nylon 6
 Nylon 510
 Nylon 1,6
 Monomers
 Diamines
 Polymers
 Homopolymers

2. Properties of nylon
 Pleats and creases can be heat-set at higher temperatures
 More compact molecular structure
 Better weathering properties; better sunlight resistance
 High melting point (256 °C/492.8 °F)
 Superior colorfastness
 Excellent abrasion resistance
 High elongation
 Excellent abrasion resistance
 High resistance to insects, fungi, animals, as well as molds, mildew, rot and many chemicals

3. Applications
Nylon is used in the garment and home furnishing industry. However, due to its higher price and
lesser wrinkle resistance, it has been replaced by polyester in many garment products. Yet, it
remains an important fiber for more demanding applications, including tire cords, ropes, seat
belts, hoses, conveyer belts, carpets, parachutes, racket strings, sleeping bags, tents, and
various civil engineering materials.

4. How is Nylon made?


Nylon, like other plastics, typically starts with the distillation of hydrocarbon fuels into lighter
groups called “fractions” some of which are combined with other catalysts to produce plastics
(typically via polymerization or polycondensation. The actual process for Nylon production falls
into one of two methodologies. The first involves the reaction of monomers with amine (NH2)
groups reacting with carboxylic acid (COOH). The second involves the reaction of diamine (a
molecule with 2 x NH2 groups) with dicarboxylic acid (a molecule with 2 x COOH groups).
Nylon is made when the appropriate monomers (the chemical building blocks which make up
polymers) are combined to form a long chain via a condensation polymerisation reaction.
The water is removed from the production process as its continued presence stops the creation
of more polymer.
The polymer chain can be made up of over 20,000 monomer units, connected together via an
amide group, which contains a nitrogen atom.
The nylon molecules are very flexible with only weak forces, such as hydrogen bonds, between
the polymer chains, which tend to tangle randomly. The polymer has to be warmed and drawn
out to form strong fibres.
5. Nylon Advantages & Disadvantages
1. Advantages:
 Lightweight
 Exceptional strength
 Abrasion resistant
 Easy to wash
 Resists shrinkage and wrinkles
 Resilient, pleat retentive
 Fast drying, low moisture absorbency
 Can be pre-colored or dyed in a wide range of colors
 Resists damage from oil and many chemicals
2. Disadvantages:
 Static and pilling
 Poor resistance to sunlight
 Low absorbency
 Picks up oils and dyes in wash
 Heat sensitive

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