Nylon

A. Chemical Structure
Nylon 6,6 (formula: (C12H22N2O2)n) is made of two monomers each containing 6 carbon
atoms, hexamethylenediamine and adipic acid, which give nylon 6,6 its name.

There are two approaches to making nylon for fibre applications. In the first approach, the
molecules that consist of an acidic group (COOH) on every end react with molecules that
contain amino (NH2) groups at each end. The resulting nylon gets a name based on the
number of carbon atoms that separate two amines and two acidic groups. Hence, nylon 6,6
is widely used as fibres made from adipic acid and hexamethylenediamine.

In the other approach, a compound that contains an amine at one end and acid at the other
are polymerized to produce a chain with repeating units of (-NH-[CH2]n-CO-)x. The
commercial production of nylon 6 starts with caprolactam (monomer for nylon 6 fiber). During
polymerization, the amide bond within each caprolactam molecule is broken, with the active
groups on each side re-forming two new bonds as the monomer becomes part of the
polymer backbone.

B. Properties

1. Physical properties

○ Tenacity: 4-9 gm/den (dry), in wet 90% of dry.

○ Elasticity: Breaking extension is 20-40%.

○ Stiffness: 20-40 gm/den.

○ Moisture regain: 3.5-5%; (not absorbent due to crystallinity).

○ Abrasion resistance: Excellent.

○ Dimensional stability: Good.

○ Resiliency: Excellent.

○ Softening point: Nylon 6,6 – 2290C, Nylon 6 – 1490C.

○ Melting point: Nylon 6,6 – 2520C, Nylon 6 – 2150C.

 ○ Hand feel: Soft and smooth

2. Chemical properties

○ Acid: Nylon 6,6 is attacked by mineral acids and disintegrated or

dissolved almost. But is inert to dilute acetate acid and formic acids even
on the boil. It is dissolved in the concentrated formic acid. Nylon 6 is
attacked by mineral acid but resistant to dilute boiling organic acid.

○ Bleaches: Not attacked by oxidizing and reducing bleaches but may be

harmed by chlorine and strong oxidizing bleaches.

○ Alkali: Nylon is substantially inert to alkalis.

○ Organic solvent: Most of the solvent has little or no effect on nylon. Phenol
meta cresol and formic acid dissolve the fibre but solvents used in stain
removal and dry cleaning do not damage it.

○ Light: No discoloration. Nylon 6 gradually loses strength on prolonged

extension.

○ Biological: Neither microorganism nor moth, larvae attack nylon.

○ Electrical: High insulating properties lead to static charges on the fibre.

○ Flammability: Burns slowly

C. Uses
○ Clothing – Shirts, Foundation garments, lingerie, raincoats, underwear,
swimwear and cycle wear.

○ Industrial uses – Conveyer and seat belts, parachutes, airbags, nets and
ropes, tarpaulins, thread, tents, fishnets, as plastic in manufacturing
machine parts (low cost and long lasting)

○ Cookware - (as it has a relatively high continuous service temperature)

D. Effects to the environment

○ No form of nylon is biodegradable, so once thrown away, it will sit in a
landfill for hundreds of years

○ Nylon is in part derived from coal and petroleum.

○ Greenhouse gases: producing nylon creates nitrous oxide, a greenhouse
gas that is 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

○ Water: manufacturing nylon requires large amounts of water to be used

for cooling the fibres, which can be a source of environmental
contamination and pollution.

○ Energy: manufacturing nylon is a very energy-hungry process, which

contributes to environmental degradation and global warming.