nylon, synthetic thermoplastic material characterized by strength, elasticity, resistance to abrasion and chemicals, low moisture absorbency, and capacity to be permanently set by heat. After 10 years of research E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company introduced nylon in 1938 as monofilaments for bristles and in 1940 as multifilament yarn for hosiery. Nylon is now manufactured also in the form of sheets, coatings, and molded plastics and used in a variety of products, including fabrics, surgical sutures, thread, insulating wire coverings, mosquito netting and screening, gears and bearings, rope, and tire cords. There are a variety of nylons, all being polyamides frequently made from diamines and dicarboxylic acids. The most generally useful of these is nylon (66), made from hexamethylene amine and adipic acid.

Any synthetic plastic material composed of polyamides of high molecular weight and usually, but not always, manufactured as a fibre. Nylons were developed by Du Pont in the 1930s. The successful production of a useful fibre by chemical synthesis from compounds readily available from air, water, and coal or petroleum stimulated expansion of research on polymers, leading to a rapidly growing family of synthetics. Nylon can be made to form fibres, filaments, bristles, or sheets to be manufactured into yarn, textiles, and cordage, and it can also be formed into molded products. It has high resistance to wear, heat, and chemicals. Most applications are in the form of filaments in such articles as hosiery, parachutes, and outerwear. Seealso W. H. Carothers.

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