Nylon One of the First

Nylon

One of the first commercially available synthetic fibers, nylon transformed the fabric and textile industry during the first half of the twentieth century. Manufacturing the polymide fiber reduced dependence on natural fibers like silk, linen, and cotton in the production of clothing and other fabrics; brush bristles; and a slew of other everyday products. Nylon also became instrumental in harder industries demanding tough, endurable materials used for ropes and other products. Although preceded by rayon as a synthetic, nylon was dubbed a "miracle fiber" because of its amazing strength and versatility ("A Short History of Manufactured Fibers" nd). Unlike rayon, nylon was one hundred percent synthetic: derived from petrochemicals. Well before automobiles because commonplace, nylon helped catapult the petroleum industry into the foreground of twentieth century manufacturing.

Nylon is a polyamide fiber, one that is "derived from a diamine and a dicarboxylic acid," (Hegde, Dahiya, & Kamath 2004). Polymers are the building blocks of nylon: chains of molecules that can be formed into strong fibers (Bellis nd). The most commonly used chemicals in the production of nylon, and the ones used in its original manufacturing by the DuPont Company, include nylon 66 (polyhexamethylene adiamide) and nylon 6 (Polycaprolactam, a cyclic nylon intermediate). Hegde, Dahiya & Kamath (2004) note that in addition to petroleum products, benzene and furfural are also raw materials from which nylon 66 and nylon 6 are extracted. Under pressure to compete with the budding rayon industry and because of its heavy investment in research and development, the DuPont Company's Wallace Carothers and his team of researchers created and perfected the first nylon ("Nylon: A Brief History of Its Inception at DuPont"). Nylon not only had an enormous impact on twentieth century manufacturing but also on the life of Carothers, who committed suicide soon after discovering the fiber. Carothers was deeply dismayed at the way the DuPont Company focused almost solely on the commercial applications of nylon ("Nylon: A Brief History of Its Inception at DuPont"). In fact, the creation of nylon inspired the DuPont Company to saturate the market with products using the new synthetic fiber. Nylon, for all its miraculous versatility, contributed to the culture of waste and over-consumption that characterized the twentieth century. Moreover, the production of nylon depends on the petroleum industry and heavy manufacturing: sources of pollution. Therefore, nylon did not necessarily make the world a better place.