Did You Know... About Nylon?

Nylon was created in the 1930s as a synthetic replacement for silk and substituted for it in many different products after silk became scarce during World War II. It replaced silk in military applications such as parachutes and flak vests, and was used in many types of vehicle tires.

In 1931, DuPont started to manufacture neoprene, a synthetic rubber created by Wallace Carothers' lab. The research team then turned their efforts towards a synthetic fiber that could replace silk. Japan was the United States' main source of silk, and trade relations between the two countries were breaking apart.

By 1934, Carothers had made significant steps toward creating a synthetic silk by combining amine, hexamethylene diamine and adipic acid to create a new fiber formed through a polymerizing process known as a condensation reaction. Polymers are natural or synthetic substances composed of very large molecules (macromolecules) that are multiples of simpler chemical units called monomers. Polymers make up many of the materials in living organisms — including proteins, cellulose, nucleic acids, natural rubber and silk — and those synthesized in the laboratory have led to commercially important products such as plastics, synthetic fibers and synthetic rubber.

DuPont patented the new fiber as "nylon" in 1938. It was first used for fishing line, surgical sutures, and toothbrush bristles. DuPont touted their new fiber as being "as strong as steel, as fine as a spider's web," and first announced and demonstrated nylon and nylon stockings to the American public at the 1939 New York World's Fair.

The technology has not stopped evolving and scientists are still working on ways to improve this fantastic fabric. Nearly a century later, nylon is still the second most used synthetic fiber in the United States. What we at Dharma love about nylon is that it is the only truly synthetic, commercially popular fabric that — because of its molecular similarities — can be dyed with the same dyes as silk and wool. This makes it a great, inexpensive substitute for outdoor fabric applications where silk would be less than ideal. Think banners, flags and wind socks!!