Polyamide 10/10
(Nylon 10/10, PA 10/10)

Properties and Applications

Polyamide 10/10, also known as Nylon 10/10 or PA 10/10, is the polycondensation product of 1,10-decamethylene diamine and 1,10-decanedioic acid (sebacic acid). Both monomers can be extracted from castor oil beans, that is, this thermoplastic can be 100% biobased.¹

The properties of Nylon 10/10 are between high performance polyamides such as PA12 and standard polyamide PA6 and PA6/6. The long aliphatic portion of the chain promotes crystallization via van der Waals interaction while the polar groups increase the melting point resulting in high crystallinity.² Due to its less polar backbone, PA 10/10 absorbs less water than standard Nylon, and therefore, it’s properties are less affected by humidity. Thus, this type of polymer bridges the gap between conventional polyolefins and short-chain polyamides.
PA 10/10 has also excellent mechanical properties including high tensile strength, flexibility, toughness and good resilience and abrasion resistance. It offers several advantages over its traditional counterparts PA6 and PA6/6 including higher impact strength, and improved chemical resistance to e.g. greases, oils, fuels, hydraulic fluids and salts. It also has a higher melting point, and a much higher elongation at break.

Nylon 10/10 is an important biopolyamide that is used in many (demanding) applications such as automotive fuel lines, pneumatic air brake tubing, electrical cable jacketing, flexible oil and gas pipes. Some novel applications include sporting & leisure goods (sports shoes and outdoor apparel) as well as housings for portable electronic devices.