and diverse shapes. The properties of nylons are often modified by blending with a variety of additives.

Numerous types of nylon are available. One family, designated nylon-XY, is derived from diamines and dicarboxylic acids of carbon chain lengths X and Y, respectively. An important example is nylon-6,6 . Another family, designated nylon-Z, is derived from aminocarboxylic acids with carbon chain length Z. An example is nylon-[6].