New polymers were still being invented or commercialized in the 1980s, so we mention some of the most important 1980s polymers: biaxially-oriented polypropylene; high-modulus polyethylene (trade name Dyneema); microfiber (Ultrasuede or Alcantara); poly(p-phenylene-2,6-benzobisoxazole) (Zylon); Technora; Vectran; and Zenite. We discuss some of the properties that make these polymers so attractive. If you become my sponsor on Patreon, you can download a supplemental sheet with molecular structures of some of these polymers.

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