Overview

The invention of nylon by Wallace Carothers (1896-1937) in 1935 launched the age of artificial fabrics and established basic principles of polymer chemistry that made plastics an ubiquitous part of civilization. Nylon itself has an unparalleled range of advantageous properties, including high strength, flexibility, and scratch resistance. Nylon has been overtaken in popularity by polyester, but it is still widely used in clothing, carpeting, toothbrushes, and furnishings. Artificial fibers, which make up a multi-billion dollar industry, offer the ability to control characteristics in ways that are impossible with natural fibers. In fact, today's polymers have replaced natural materials in many applications, including most textiles in the U.S. They have provided new materials, such as lightweight, shock-resistant body armor, that have characteristics that are impossible to reproduce by natural methods. Nylon and other polymers have also created environmental concerns and disposal problems...