Isotope exchange kinetics applied to nylon water systems

Abstract

A knowledge of the interaction of water with various fibres is of fundamental importance in the interpretation and prediction of the properties of textiles. This knowledge is of particular importance in the study of wool, which, in the simplest picture, consists of a long chain of amino acids linked by peptide bonds, and the chain bearing a large number of hydrophilic side-groups. The interpretation of wool-water studies is somewhat complicated, due to the presence of these side-groups, and is simplified by studying a system where they are absent. This course of approach has been used by Bamford Bamford, C.H., J. Text. Inst. 51, T1527, (1960). in studying the configuration of long polypeptide chains. Such a system of peptide links without the presence of side-groups occurs in Nylon 66 which is studied in this work. Nylon 66 is a polyamide, synthesised from adipic acid and hexamethylene diamine. The absorption of water by this fibre has been studied extensively by a number of different methods which are briefly reviewed below :-