History of Aramid Polymers

Aramids were first introduced in commercial applications in the early 1960s, with a meta-aramid fiber produced by DuPont as HT-1 and then under the trade name "Nomex". This fiber, which handles similarly to normal textile apparel fibers, is characterized by its excellent resistance to heat, as it neither melts nor ignites in normal levels of oxygen. It is used extensively in the production of protective apparel, air filtration, thermal and electrical insulation as well as a substitute for asbestos.
Meta-aramid is also produced in the Netherlands and Japan by Teijin under the trade name "Conex", In Korea by Toray under the trade name "Arawin", in China by Yantai Tayho under the trade name "New Star", by SRO Group (China) under the trade name "X-Fiper", and a variant of meta-aramid in France by Kermel under the trade name "Kermel".
Based on earlier research by Monsanto Company and Bayer, a fiber "para-aramid" with much higher tenacity and elastic modulus was also developed in the 1960s–1970s by DuPont and Akzo Nobel, both profiting from their knowledge of rayon, polyester and nylon processing.
Much work was done by Stephanie Kwolek in 1961 while working at DuPont and that company was the first to introduce a para-aramid called "Kevlar" in 1973. A similar fiber called "Twaron" with roughly the same chemical structure was introduced by Akzo in 1978. Due to earlier patents on the production process, Akzo and DuPont engaged in a patent dispute in the 1980s. Twaron is currently owned by the Teijin Company.
Para-aramids are used in many high-tech applications, such as aerospace and military applications, for "bullet-proof" body armor fabric.