Polyamide 66
Polyamide 66 is made from the polycondensation of the aqueous salt of hexamethylene diamine (HMDA) and adipic acid. HMDA is produced industrially from either butadiene or from propylene (via acrylonitrile). The other half of the polyamide 66 molecule, adipic acid, is derived through a number of syntheses all of which begin with benzene.
Production of polyamide 66 polymer reached 2068ktes in 2010 and is expected to grow at 1.1% CAGR (2000-2020). Fibre markets represented 55% of the 2010 demand with engineering thermoplastics being the remainder. Polyamide 66 is generally not used in film applications as it cannot be bi-axially orientated.