What is nylon made of?

Nylon is composed of polyamide bonds linked together in repeating units. It is an engineered thermoplastic material that possesses non-Carbon atoms in these units, which makes it unique among heterochain thermoplastics.

Nylon was invented in 1928 by DuPont-employed chemical engineer, Wallace Carothers. It became commercially viable in 1935, when it was first used as the bristles in a toothbrush. Nylon has many applications today, which include women's stockings, rugs, musical strings,tents, flak jackets and as a substitute for silk. The chemical elements involved in making nylon are carbon, oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen, in complex reactions that are very sensitive to heat.