Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides.
Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from petroleum,
that can be melt-processed into fibers, films, or shapes.
Nylon polymers can be mixed with a wide variety of additives to achieve many different property variations.
Nylon polymers have found significant commercial applications in fabric and fibers, in shapes, and in films.
Nylon was the first commercially successful synthetic thermoplastic polymer. DuPont began its research project in 1927.
The first example of nylon, was synthesized using diamines on February 28, 1935 by Wallace Hume Carothers at DuPont's research facility at the DuPont Experimental Station. In response to Carothers' work, Paul Schlack at IG Farben developed nylon 6, a different molecule based on caprolactam, on January 29, 1938.