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Nylon 6-6
 
 
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Nylon 6-6, also referred to as nylon 6,6, is a type of nylon
Nylon

Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers known generically as polyamides and first produced on February 28, 1935 by Wallace Carothers at DuPont....
. Nylon comes in many types, the two most common for textile and plastics industries are: nylon 6
Nylon 6

Nylon 6 or polycaprolactam is a polymer developed by Paul Schlack at IG Farben to reproduce the properties of Nylon 6-6 without violating the patent on its production....
 and nylon 6,6.

Physical Properties
1. Nylon 6,6 has a melting point of 256°C, high for a synthetic fiber, though not a match for polyesters or aramids such as Kevlar
Kevlar

Kevlar is the registered trademark for a light, strong aramid synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora.Developed at DuPont in 1965 by Stephanie Kwolek it was first commercially used in the early 1970s as a replacement for steel in racing tires....
.






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Nylon 6-6, also referred to as nylon 6,6, is a type of nylon
Nylon

Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers known generically as polyamides and first produced on February 28, 1935 by Wallace Carothers at DuPont....
. Nylon comes in many types, the two most common for textile and plastics industries are: nylon 6
Nylon 6

Nylon 6 or polycaprolactam is a polymer developed by Paul Schlack at IG Farben to reproduce the properties of Nylon 6-6 without violating the patent on its production....
 and nylon 6,6.

Composition


Nylon 6,6 is made of hexamethylene diamine and adipic acid
Adipic acid

Adipic acid is the organic compound with the chemical formula 42. From the industrial perspective, it is the most important dicarboxylic acid: About 2.5 billion kilograms of this white crystalline powder are produced annually, mainly as a precursor for the production of nylon....
, which give nylon 6,6 a total of 12 carbon atoms, and its name.

Physical Properties


1. Nylon 6,6 has a melting point of 256°C, high for a synthetic fiber, though not a match for polyesters or aramids such as Kevlar
Kevlar

Kevlar is the registered trademark for a light, strong aramid synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora.Developed at DuPont in 1965 by Stephanie Kwolek it was first commercially used in the early 1970s as a replacement for steel in racing tires....
. This fact makes it the most resistant to heat and friction and enables it to withstand heatsetting for twist retention.

2. Its long molecular chain results in more sites for hydrogen bonds, creating chemical “springs” and making it very resilient.

3. It has a dense structure with small, evenly spaced pores. This means that nylon 6,6 is difficult to dye, but once dyed it has superior colorfastness and is less susceptible to fading from sunlight and ozone and to yellowing from nitrous oxide.

Manufacture


1. Hexamethylene diamine and adipic acid are combined with water in a reactor. This produces nylon salt. The nylon salt is then sent to an evaporator where excess water is removed.

2. The nylon salt goes into a reaction vessel where a continuous polymerization process takes place. This chemical process makes molten nylon 6,6.

3. The molten nylon 6,6 undergoes a spinning process, where the nylon 6,6 is extruded and sent through a spinnerette, which is a small metal plate with fine holes. The nylon is then air-cooled to form filaments.

4.Nylon's chemical formula is nHOOC-(CH2)4-COOH+n H2N-(CH2)6-NH2---->[-OC-( CH2)4-CO-NH-(CH2)6-NH-] n+2nH2O and the part -CO-NH- will stick together becoming Nylon 6,6.

Applications


  1. Carpet
    Carpet

    A carpet is any loom-woven, felted textile or grass floor covering. The term was also used for table and wall coverings, as carpets were not commonly used on the floor in European interiors until the 18th century....
     fiber
  2. Apparel
  3. Airbags
  4. Tires
  5. Ropes
  6. Conveyor Belts
  7. Hoses


Nylon 6,6's longer molecular chain and denser structure qualifies it as a premium nylon fiber, specified most often by professional architects and designers for use in commercial settings like offices, airports, and other places that get a lot of wear and tear. It is also an excellent choice for residential carpet applications.