Teflon
From open-encyclopedia.com - the free encyclopedia.
Teflon is the brand name of a polymer compound discovered by Roy J. Plunkett (1910-1994) of DuPont in 1938 and introduced as a commercial product in 1946.
Teflon is polytetrafluoroethene (PTFE).
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Teflon is also used as the trade name for a polymer with similar properties, perfluoroalkoxy polymer resin (PFA):
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Teflon has the lowest coefficient of friction of any solid material known to man. It is also used as a non-stick coating for pans and other cookware. Teflon is very unreactive, and so is often used in containers and pipework for reactive chemicals. Its melting point is 327 °C.
Teflon is sometimes said to be a spin-off from the US space program with more down-to-earth applications, but actually its first significant use was in the Manhattan Project, as a material to contain highly-reactive uranium hexafluoride. It was first sold commercially in 1946.
Teflon has been supplemented with another DuPont product, Silverstone, a three-coat fluoropolymer system that produces a more durable finish than Teflon. Silverstone was released in 1976.
In the US, gun control advocates have campaigned against Teflon-coated armor-piercing "cop-killer" bullets. Actually, many types of bullets are coated with Teflon—to reduce friction and abrasion as the bullet passes through the gun.
Teflon has been implicated in cancer, though DuPont denies any association.
External links
- DuPont's History of Teflon
- Chemical Achievers: Roy J. Plunkett
- Dave Kopel on "cop-killers"
- Teflon is toxic to pet birds"
- Thermolysis of fluoropolymers as a potential source of halogenated organic acids in the environment
- If Teflon is nonsticky, how do they get it to stick to the pan? (from The Straight Dope)
de:Polytetrafluorethen fr:Teflon he:טפלון nl:Teflon ja:テフロン pl:Teflon fi:Teflon sv:Teflon
