Nylon
Wallace Carothers · 1935
Nylon is a family of synthetic thermoplastic polyamides defined by amide linkages connecting aliphatic or semi-aromatic groups; it is melt-processed into fibers, films, and shapes; its properties are modifiable via additives; and it is classified into families (e.g., nylon-XY from diamine/dicarboxylic acid monomers, nylon-Z from aminocarboxylic acids), with nylon-6,6 and nylon-6 as key examples.