Synthetic fiber
Artificially manufactured fibers, often based on polymers
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The first synthetic fibers
Hilaire de Chardonnet, a French engineer and industrialist, invented the first artificial silk, which he called "Chardonnet silk". In the late 1870s, Chardonnet was working with Louis Pasteur on a remedy to the epidemic that was destroying French silkworms. Failure to clean up a spill in the darkroom resulted in Chardonnet's discovery of nitrocellulose as a potential replacement for real silk. Realizing the value of such a discovery, Chardonnet began to develop his new product, which he displayed at the Paris Exhibition of 1889. Chardonnet's material was extremely flammable, and was subsequently replaced with other, more stable materials.
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Commercial products
The first successful process was developed in 1894 by English chemist Charles Frederick Cross and his collaborators Edward John Bevan and Clayton Beadle. They named the fiber "viscose". This was because the reaction product of carbon disulfide and cellulose under alkaline conditions gave a highly viscous solution of xanthate. The first commercial viscose rayon was produced by the UK company Courtaulds in 1905. The name "rayon" was adopted in 1924, with "viscose" being used for the viscous organic liquid used to make both rayon and cellophane. A similar product known as cellulose acetate was discovered in 1865. Rayon and acetate are both artificial fibers, but not truly synthetic, being made from wood.
Nylon, the first synthetic fiber in the "fully synthetic" sense of that term, was developed by Wallace Carothers, an American researcher brought to chemical firm DuPont in 1927. The first nylon was nylon 66, synthesized on February 28, 1935. Nylon made its debut in the United States as a replacement for silk just in time for the introduction of rationing during World War II. Its novel use as a material for women's stockings overshadowed more practical uses, such as a replacement for the silk in parachutes and other military uses like ropes.
The first polyester fiber was patented in Britain in 1928 by the International General Electric company. It was also produced by British chemists working at the Calico Printers' Association, John Rex Whinfield and James Tennant Dickson, in 1941. They produced and patented one of the first polyester fibers which they named Terylene, also known as Dacron, equal to or surpassing nylon in toughness and resilience. ICI and DuPont went on to produce their own versions of the fiber.
The world production of synthetic fibers was 55.2 million tonnes in 2014.
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.
Environmental impact
Synthetic fibers are non-biodegradable and may take 200 years or more to decompose, contributing to long-term pollution in landfills and the environment. Each laundry cycle involving synthetic garments can release up to 700,000 microplastic fibers, which often enter marine ecosystems and contribute to microplastic pollution.
Carbon footprint
The production of synthetic fibers is associated with high greenhouse gas emissions. For instance, producing 1 kg of acrylic emits 35.7 kg of CO2 equivalents, nylon emits 32 kg, and polyester emits 27.2 kg. These emissions are significant compared to many natural fibers. Additionally, nylon production releases nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas 310 times more potent than CO2, making its impact especially severe. Acrylic, while praised for its softness, has a short garment lifespan and limited durability, leading to more frequent disposal and increased environmental burden.
Common synthetic fibers
Common synthetic fibers include:
- Nylon (1931)
- Modacrylic (1949)
- Olefin (1949)
- Acrylic (1950)
- Polyester (1953)
Specialty synthetic fibers include:
- Rayon (1894) artificial silk
- Vinyon (1939)
- Saran (1941)
- Spandex (1959)
- Vinalon (1939)
- Aramids (1961) - known as Nomex, Kevlar and Twaron
- Modal (1960s)
- Dyneema/Spectra (1979)
- PBI (Polybenzimidazole fiber) (1983)
- Sulfar (1983)
- Lyocell (1992) (artificial, not synthetic)
- PLA (2002)
- M-5 (PIPD fiber)
- Orlon
- Zylon (PBO fiber)
- Vectran (TLCP fiber) made from Vectra LCP polymer
- Derclon used in manufacture of rugs
- Azlon
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 composite materials (glass-reinforced plastic, glass fiber reinforced concrete)
- specialty papers in battery separators and filtration
- Metallic fiber (1946) is used for:
- adding metallic properties to clothing for the purpose of fashion (usually made with composite plastic and metal foils)
- elimination and prevention of static charge build-up
- conducting electricity to transmit information
- conduction of heat