Polyamide is a type of polymer containing amide-type bonds. Polyamides can be found in nature, such as wool or silk, and can also be synthetic, such as nylon or Kevlar.
The first polyamides were synthesised by the chemical company DuPont Corporation, by the team led by chemist Wallace Hume Carothers, who started working at the firm in 1928.
Polyamides such as nylon began to be used as synthetic fibres, although they have ended up being used in the manufacture of any plastic material.
Aramides are a type of polyamides in which aromatic groups are part of their structure. For example, they produce fibres that are highly resistant to traction, such as Kevlar, or fibres that are also highly resistant to fire, such as Nomex, both of which are marketed by DuPont.
