PA12, whose full name is Polyamide 12, is commonly referred to as Nylon 12. It is an important member of the polyamide (PA) family.
It is a thermoplastic engineering plastic with a molecular backbone composed of repeating laurolactam (dodecalactam) units. Its core characteristics and relevant information are as follows:
Raw Materials and Preparation
Industrially, it is mainly produced by ring-opening polymerization using laurolactam (dodecalactam) as the monomer. It can also be synthesized via polycondensation reaction between dodecanedioic acid and dodecamethylenediamine. The raw materials can be either petroleum-based chemicals or bio-based feedstocks (e.g., derivatives from castor oil) to produce bio-based PA12, thereby enhancing sustainability.
Key Properties
- Compared with common grades such as PA6 and PA66, PA12 has lower water absorption, resulting in better dimensional stability after water uptake, making it more suitable for precision-demanding applications.
- With a low density of approximately 0.94–1.02g/cm³, it is a lightweight nylon variant, featuring excellent flexibility and low-temperature toughness, and can maintain favorable performance at around -40℃.
- It retains the general advantages of nylons, including oil resistance, organic solvent resistance and good weatherability, along with a low friction coefficient, which grants it excellent wear resistance and self-lubrication.
Application Scenarios
Benefiting from its outstanding dimensional stability and low-temperature toughness, PA12 is widely used in automotive components (e.g., fuel hoses, brake hoses, wire harness sleeves), electronics and electrical appliances (precision connectors, sensor housings), medical devices (housing materials for implantable components), and sports goods (cleats for ski boots and hiking shoes).
