SYNTHETIC FIBRES

A Fibre is thread like material that is strong and flexible. It is sued to make cloths nets, ropes, shirt, sarees, curtains, bedcover, towels, bags etc.

Clothing materials that are woven out of fibres are called fabrics.

Fibres are of two types: natural fibres and artificial or synthetic fibres.

Natural fibres:

Obtained from plants or animals. Cotton Fruit of cotton plant Jute stem of the jute plant Wool soft hair of sheep, goat, rabbit and camel Silk cocoon of the silkworm

Natural fibres are affected by moth attacks. Fibres like cotton and jute get wrinkled easily, while silk and wool require delicate handling. To overcome these problems, artificial fibres are synthesized

Synthetic fibres are made by human beings by chemical processes. These fibres are obtained from coal, petroleum and natural gas (Petrochemicals)

The first synthetic fibre (Nylon) was made by an American chemist W.H.Carothers in 1935

Synthetic fibre is made up of a long chain of small units joined together to form a polymer. Each small unit is called monomer. A polymer is made by joining together thousands of monomers.

The

word Polymer comes

from

two

Greek

words; poly meaning

many

and meros meaning parts. Thus, a polymer is made up of many repeating units

Cellulose is a naturally occurring polymer found in the structural unit of all plants. It is made up of glucose units.

The process of linking together small monomers top form polymers is called Polymerization.

There are two types of polymers Natural polymers silk, wool , cotton Synthetic polymers Nylon rayon

Rayon The artificial silk prepared from cellulose (wood pulp) is called rayon. Rayon resembles silk in appearance, texture, shine and hence called as artificial silk.

Properties: Rayon is strong and a spongy fibre. It burns at high temperature. It has soft, silky touch. It wrinkles easily and may stretch or shrink when washed. Uses of Rayon: It is used in the manufacturing of fabrics for sarees. It is used for making dresses, caps and bed sheets when mixed with cotton. It is used in medical filed for making bandages and cloth for dressing wounds. It is used for making carpets when mixed with wool. Nylon: Properties: It is very strong and elastic. It absorbs little water, hence dries up rapidly It resists wrinkles It is not attacked by moths and moulds It is fine, light and durable

Uses: It is used for making fishing nets, climbing ropes, Parachute fabrics, bristles for tooth brushes and paint brushes It is used in the production of textiles like sarees, shirts, socks and other garments

Polyester It is made up of repeating units of esters. Terylene, PET (polyethylene tetraphthalate) are examples of polyester Properties: It is strong and wrinkle resistant It is not attacked by moths and moulds It absorbs little water. So clothes dry up quickly It is not so elastic It is quite resistant to the action of chemicals Uses: It is used for making fabrics for suits, jackets, shirts, trousers, sarees and other dress materials It is used for making sails for boats It is used for making fire hoses and conveyor belts. PET is used for making bottles, utensils, films, wires etc.

Acrylic: It has the properties of wool. Hence it is also called as artificial wool. Properties: It is not attacked by moths and moulds They are resistant to the action of chemicals They are washable and shrink-proof Uses: They are used for making sweaters, shawls and blankets

Advantages of Synthetic fibres: They are more durable, affordable and stronger than natural fibres. They are available in wide range of colours. They are not attacked by moths and moulds They are easy to wash and maintain They dry up quickly

Disadvantages of synthetic fibres: They do not allow air to pass freely through them and hence are not good for summer. They do not absorb sweat They get damaged by high temperature when ironed.

As synthetic fibres are prepared using petrochemicals, they can catch fire easily and stick to the body of the person

A nylon thread is stronger than a steel wire.

The increasing order of strength of fibres can be represented as: Cotton < Wool < Silk < Nylon

Esters are sweet smelling compounds

Polycot = Polyester + Cotton Cotton

Polywool = Polyester + Wool

Terrycot = Terylene +