Nylon is a special material, not a substitute for natural fabrics

Today, when most consumers prefer clothes made from natural fabrics, it is surprising the general fascination with synthetics that engulfed the world and Soviet societies in the late fifties and early sixties of the 20th century. We then brought "from behind the hill" bright shirts and socks were very fashionable, dildigly paid for them by the rabid money, and besides aesthetic pleasure, they found other advantages in the form of high consumer qualities.

It was easy to erase these things, they dried extremely fast, they practically did not need ironing, and besides they did not shed. Nylon seemed to be a symbol of scientific and technological progress, behind it the future, it will be very short time, and the whole world will get dressed in things from this material.

Chemical aspects

In fact, in the fifties he was no longer new. If you seek an explanation from a specialist in organic chemistry, he will answer that, in essence, nylon is polyamide.

Without going into the scientific subtleties, anyone who passed the school course, can imagine a chain of molecules, elongated in length and consisting of identical links. To give the material any special properties, the bulk polymeric structure can be changed by adding branches and inserts, but, in general, the chemical composition of nylon is very simple, it is synthesized from three completely natural substances: air, coal and water. The monomer, i.e. the amide, combines with molecules like itself and forms a polymer, very strong and resistant to most types of aggressive actions.

When nylon stockings were a luxury

For the first time, the polymerization reaction of the amide was carried out by specialists of the American firm DuPont in 1930. In almost a decade, the same company began manufacturing women's stockings, than immortalized its name, and due to which fabulously enriched. This piquant subject of the women's wardrobe soon accomplished what the most formidable dictators of the 20th century could not do. Nylon stockings conquered the world.

In the first years of market monopoly domination of the new product of the firm "DuPont", these juicy products cost dearly, such is the law of capitalism. Then there were competitors, and stockings became more affordable luxury for the inhabitants of the countries where they were produced. Nevertheless, they were speculated in post-war Europe and the USSR.

Nylon and prewar expectations

At the same time, when polymeric American stockings marched around the world, other, much less pleasant and beautiful events took place in world politics. Mankind stood on the threshold of a grandiose global slaughter. The upcoming war required resources, the most diverse. It was necessary to produce tens and hundreds of millions of tons of military products, including those for which natural and expensive components are needed as raw materials. During the First World Parachute they sewed from natural silk, and automobile and aviation tires were made from rubber. Machines and airplanes were few, and such a luxury warring countries could afford. In the late thirties, the production of military equipment increased dramatically. And then it turned out that nylon - this material is not only for stockings.

Strategic material

The military application of this polymer turned out to be very broad. During the Second World War and subsequent wars, many of them were made for this purpose, for which a strong fiber is required. The DuPont nylon of a special kind is called Kevlar, and the fact that it is five times stronger than steel has allowed it to be used to make body armor worn by American soldiers in the second half of the Vietnam War.

Natural rubber since 1939 became a strategic commodity, and its delivery from the British colonies was extremely difficult. In the manufacture of parts of equipment previously made from this natural polymer, nylon has been used. This solved the issue of protectors, the soles of soldiers' shoes and many other problems.

In the 21st century, many technical aids appeared, which previous generations did not even dream of. After the invention of compact radars installed on airplanes, ships and missiles, the question arose about creating radio-transparent fairings. Metal, for obvious reasons, is not good for this purpose, it screens the signal. Usually in these cases, polyester or nylon is used.

And again clothes

Water resistance is both a virtue and a lack of clothing made of polymer cloths. The inability of this material to "breathe" creates a lot of inconvenience, things "soar". However, even with this problem, technologists have learned to fight, creating membrane and perforated materials. Modern nylon is a high-tech fabric, sometimes capable of carrying out the conductivity of water molecules unilaterally, resistant (in contrast to the analogues of the 1940s and 1960s) to ultraviolet radiation and heat.

However, when washing clothes from this material, it should be remembered that nylon very badly tolerates the effect of chlorine contained in many powders. Care should be taken also for ironing. However, these shortcomings, perhaps, will soon be eliminated by the efforts of chemical technologists working on the manufacturers of this material.