Zylon

Not to be confused with Cylon (disambiguation) or Zyklon (disambiguation).
Zylon
Skeletal formula of a Zylon monomer
Names
IUPAC name
poly(p-phenylene-2,6-benzobisoxazole)[1]
Identifiers
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).

Zylon (IUPAC name: poly(p-phenylene-2,6-benzobisoxazole)) is a trademarked name for a range of thermoset liquid-crystalline polyoxazole. This synthetic polymer material was invented and developed by SRI International in the 1980s and manufactured by Toyobo.[2] In generic usage, the fiber is referred to as PBO.[3]

Zylon has 5.8 GPa of tensile strength,[4] which is 1.6 times that of Kevlar. Additionally, Zylon has a high Young's modulus of 270 GPa, meaning that it is stiffer than steel. Like Kevlar, Zylon is used in a number of applications that require very high strength with excellent thermal stability. Tennis racquets, ping pong paddles, snowboards, various medical applications, and some of the Martian rovers are some of the better-known instances.

  1. ^ Compendium of Polymer Terminology and Nomenclature - IUPAC Recommendations 2008 (PDF). Retrieved 2018-08-28.
  2. ^ Nielson, Donald (2006). A Heritage of Innovation: SRI's First Half Century. Menlo Park, California: SRI International. pp. 11–7–11–10. ISBN 978-0974520810.
  3. ^ Abegaz, Adane Z. (2013-12-18). Advanced Fiber Reinforced Composites as Confining Systems for RC Columns (Thesis). University of Miami Scholarly Repository. p. 7.
  4. ^ Toyobo Co., Ltd. "Zylon® (PBO fiber)" (free download PDF) (Technical Information).