Nylon 6 and Other Polyamides

Nylon is a family of polyamide polymers characterized by the presence of amide group-CONH. Nylon 66 comprises approximately 75% of the U.S. consumption of 

Nylon is a crystalline polymer with high strength, modulus, and impact resistance. The general chemical structure of Nylon is as follows  

The type of nylon, such as Nylon 6, is identified by a number of carbon atoms in the repeating block. The repeating block in Nylon 6 is 

This is defined by the number of carbon atoms in the monomers used in the polymerization. When two different monomers are used in the preparation of the polymer, the nylon is identified using two numbers, such as Nylon 6/6 or Nylon 66. 

Nylon properties are greatly affected by the amount of crystallinity, which in turn is controlled, to a great extent, by the cooling of the polymer. A slowly cooled nylon will have greater crystallinity, in the range of 50-60%. A rapidly cooled nylon will have crystallinity as low as 10%. In addition, slowly cooled nylon contains larger crystals than when rapidly cooled. 

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