polyacrylonitrile

[pol-ee-ak-ruh-loh-nahy-tril, -treel, -trahyl]

noun

Chemistry.

1. a polymer of acrylonitrile used in the manufacture of Orlon and other synthetic textiles.

Word History and Origins

Origin of polyacrylonitrile¹

First recorded in 1930–35; poly- + acrylonitrile

Example Sentences

Made of polyacrylonitrile, these nanofibres seem to defy logic — the thinner they get, the stronger and tougher they become.

Read more on Nature

More than 90 percent of carbon fibers use the petroleum-based precursor polyacrylonitrile, or PAN, as their raw material.

Read more on Scientific American