Terylene

Terylene is a brand name for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers developed and marketed by the British chemical company ICI in the 1940s. The name is commonly used to refer to PET in fiber form, though PET can also be produced as a clear resin for bottles and films. Terylene helped establish polyester fibers as a major class of synthetic textiles.

PET is produced by condensation polymerization of terephthalic acid (or dimethyl terephthalate) with ethylene glycol. The resulting polymer is melt‑processable and can be spun into fibers or molded into bottles and films. In textile use, Terylene fibers are valued for high tensile strength, dimensional stability and resistance to wrinkling and shrinking.

Applications include clothing, home furnishings and industrial fabrics; the PET resin is widely used for beverage bottles and food packaging, as well as films for packaging and insulation. In the United States, DuPont marketed a competing polyester fiber under the Dacron brand.

Chemically, PET has a relatively high crystallinity potential and good chemical resistance, while maintaining thougthly useful toughness. It can be blended with natural fibers such as cotton or wool to improve durability and reduce wrinkling. PET fibers and resins are widely recycled, with bottle-to-fiber recycling and reuse of PET in various packaging and engineering applications.