NYLON 6

Imrananwar_112ntu@yahoo.com

NATIONAL TEXTILE UNIVERSITY

FAISALABAD

PAKISTAN
 Nylon 6
Nylon 6 or polycaprolactam unlike most other nylons,
not a condensation polymer, but formed by ring-
opening polymerization

It was given the trademark Perlon in the year 1952

It is a semi crystalline polyamide

Repeating Unit
 Application

Thread in bristles for toothbrushes

Surgical sutures
Strings for acoustic (Guitars, Violins, Violas)
Variety of threads, ropes, filaments & nets
Tire cords
Hosiery and Knitted garments
Gun frames
 Properties

Glass transition temperature: 47oC

Melting temperature: 220oC
Amorphous density at 25oC: 1.084 g/cm3
Crystalline density at 25oC: 1.23 g/cm3
Molecular weight of repeat unit: 113.16 g/mol
Degraded by light as natural fibers
Permanent set by heat and steam
 Properties

Tenacity-elongation at break ranges from

8.8g/d-18% to 4.3 g/d-45%.
Its tensile strength is higher than that of wool, silk,
rayon, or cotton.
100% elastic under 8% of extension
Specific gravity of 1.14
Extremely chemically stable
No mildew or bacterial effects
4 - 4.5% of moisture regain
 Properties

Abrasion resistant
Lustrous- Nylon fibers have the luster of silk
Easy to wash
Can be pre colored or dyed in wide range of
colors; dyes are applied to the molten mass of
nylon or to the yarn or finished fabric.
Resilient
Filament yarn provides smooth, soft, long
lasting fabrics
Spun yarn lend fabrics light weight and warmth
Synthesis of Nylon 6

Nylon 6 is only made from one kind of monomer, a monomer

called caprolactam whereas Nylon 6,6 is made from two
monomers, adipoyl chloride and hexamethylene diamine
Caprolactam is firstly heated to about 250oC with about 5-10%
water thrown in. The carbonyl oxygen looks around, and sees
a water molecule & steal one of the water's hydrogen atoms
The carbonyl oxygen donates a pair of electrons to the
hydrogen atom of water results in protonated carbonyl, and a
free hydroxyl group. Carbonyl oxygen having positive charge,
swipes a pair of electrons from the carbonyl double bond,
leaving the positive charge on the carbonyl carbon atom
Carbocation in a molecule allows nucleophile to come
along and attack it. Hydroxide ion whose proton was
stolen by caprolactam attacks the carbocation
An unstable gem diol is formed. The nitrogen atom donates a
pair of electrons to a hydrogen atom on one of the hydroxyl
groups, stealing it away. The electrons that the hydrogen
shared with its oxygen shift to form a double bond between
the oxygen and the carbon atom. And lastly, the electrons
shared by the carbon and the nitrogen shift completely to the
nitrogen, severing the carbon-nitrogen bond
Caprolactam circle brakes & makes it linear amino
acid which react with other caprolactam molecule.
Caprolactam molecule will steal the acid hydrogen
form the linear amino acid. The carbonyl oxygen
donates a pair of electrons to that hydrogen,
stealing it away from the amino acid
The electrons rearrange to form the carbocation
This carbocation is still an open invitation to any nucleophile
around, but this time, there's a new nucleophile on the block.
That's the amino acid that just lost its acid hydrogen
Very unstable ammonium species are formed. Ring nitrogen
steals a hydrogen from the ammonium nitrogen. In addition,
the bond joining the carbon and the nitrogen disengaged,
opening the ring
Carboxylate group at the end of the molecule is going to
sweep around and steal the alcohol hydrogen
This makes a new carbonyl group in the middle of the
molecule, and regenerates the carboxylic acid. As an acid , it is
sure to react again with another caprolactam molecule, and
then another, and another, until we get long chains of nylon 6
 Pre-Treatment Flow Process

Padding
Heat-setting
Preliminary scouring with non-ionic detergent
Bleaching
 SCOURING

Before heat-setting and dyeing it is advisable

to remove the finishing oil from the polyamide
yarn
Scouring in a solvent with perchloroethylene
in continuous scouring machines.This is the
best method of removing finishes from nylon
yarns with a silicone oil base
 HEAT - SETTING

This process is required for fixing the final dimensions

of the fabrics
Heat-setting is normally carried out before dyeing, but
can also be performed at the end of the process.
The setting times and temperatures are as
180C-190C for 20-40 sec
 BLEACHING

Polyamide yarns tend to yellow when heat-set

In nylon multifilament fabrics, a protection agent
may have to be used to reduce the possibility of
yellowing during heat-setting e.g.
Spanscour GR
Sybron Tanatex
Conditions for Bleaching are
stabilised sodium hydrosulphite - 2-3 g/l
pH = 4,5 5
Temperature:....90C - 95C
Time:..............30-45 minutes
 DYEABILITY

Nylon is a synthetic fiber, but its unique chemistry

means that it can be dyed, easily and well, using
the same acid dyes that are commonly used on
wool and other animal fibers.
 DYEABILITY

The dyeing efficiency of nylon fibers is enhanced due

to the end groups -COOH and -NH2, which exhibit
polar and hydrophilic characteristics.
Dye diffusion into fibers is closely related to the rate
of dyeing, level of dyeing through dye migration, wet
fastness properties of dyes, etc.
 DYEABILITY

Earlier studies were made about the diffusion of

disperse dyes on nylon 6 and found that the actual
diffusivity on nylon 6 fibers is not always independent
on dye concentration
 DYEABILITY

It was further reported that both dyeing rate and dye

saturation of 1,4 -diaminoanthraquinone (1,4-DAA)
were improved considerably in the presence of
didodecyldimethlammonium bromide (DDDMAB).
 DYEABILITY

This suggests that there might be fairly strong

interaction between DDDMAB and the fiber by virtue
of electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions.
There have been many attempts to improve nylon's
dyeability or at least to point out the factors and
mechanisms acting in nylon dyeing.
 DYEABILITY

It has been shown that acrylonitrile and

styrene radiation grafting on the polymer
could improve the dye ability of nylon .
Another approach to higher dye ability of
nylon 6 is by copolymerization.
In this case, the dye ability can be improved
at the expense of a decrease of specific
viscosity and of heat and hydrolysis
resistance.
 DYEABILITY

Other treatments, such as plasma etching and

superheated steaming have proved to decrease nylon
dye ability.
Superheated steaming of the fibers leads to higher
shrinkage and to higher crystallinity and crystal size,
which contribute to decrease dye ability.