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Good question! Synthetic fabrics are usually made of long repeating chains of molecules
called polymers.
Polymers are very useful, in that they can be tuned to suit the needs of the user. Water-proof
raincoats, tear-resistant suitcases, and stain-resistant clothing are just a few good examples of tunable
polymers at work.
However, unlike natural fibers, man-made polymers are not biodegradable, and can do quite a
number on the environment! So we have to be careful when manufacturing them!
Let's look at a polymer.
Here we can see nylon, which is used in clothing, instrument strings, and even parachutes!
The most common nylon is made up of two molecules: adipic acid and hexamethylenediamine. These
two molecules are combined in a high temperature bath, and start to link up with each other
one by one, until they're a whole chain.
These chains are then run through a spinnette, which forms the tiny fibers when the nylon
cools down. The strands can then be shipped out and sold for use in fabric.
And that's the story of synthetic fabrics!