Synthetic fiber

Synthetic fibers or synthetic fibres (in British English; see spelling differences) are fibers made by humans through chemical synthesis, as opposed to natural fibers that are directly derived from living organisms, such as plants (like cotton) or fur from animals. They are the result of extensive research by scientists to replicate naturally occurring animal and plant fibers. In general, synthetic fibers are created by extruding fiber-forming materials through spinnerets, forming a fiber. These are called synthetic or artificial fibers. The word polymer comes from a Greek prefix "poly" which means "many" and suffix "mer" which means "single units". (Note: each single unit of a polymer is called a monomer).

The first synthetic fibres

Nylon was the first commercially successful synthetic thermoplastic polymer. DuPont began its research project in 1927. The first nylon, nylon 66, was synthesized on February 28, 1935, by Wallace Hume Carothers at DuPont's research facility at the DuPont Experimental Station.

The next step was taken by

The first successful process was developed in 1894 by English chemist

The world production of synthetic fibers was 55.2 million tonnes in 2014.[9]

Descriptions

About half of all fibres are synthetic, with applications in every field of fiber and textile technology. Although many classes of fibers based on synthetic polymers have been evaluated as potentially valuable commercial products, four of them - nylon, polyester, acrylic and polyolefin - dominate the market. These four account for approximately 98 percent by volume of synthetic fiber production, with polyester alone accounting for around 60 percent.^[10]

Synthetic fibers are a source of

• Nylon (1931)
• Modacrylic (1949)
• Olefin (1949)
• Acrylic (1950)
• Polyester (1953)

Specialty synthetic fibers include:

^{[citation needed]}

Other synthetic materials used in fibers include:

• Acrylonitrile rubber (1930)

Modern fibers that are made from older artificial materials include:

• Glass fiber
  (1938) is used for:
  • industrial, automotive, and home insulation (glass wool)
  • reinforcement of
    glass-reinforced plastic, glass fiber reinforced concrete
    )
  • specialty papers in
    battery
    separators and filtration
• Metallic fiber (1946) is used for:
  • adding metallic properties to
    metal foils
    )
  • elimination and prevention of static charge build-up
  • conducting electricity to transmit information
  • conduction of heat^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Artificial turf
• Elasterell
• Rope
• Delustrant

References