PTFE

Polytetrafluoroethylene, (PTFE) (C2F4)n was discovered by Roy J. Plunkett (1910-1994) of Du Pont in 1938 whilst carrying out research in the USA. During the research a container of tetrafluoroethylene, used in chlorofluorocarbon refrigerant production, the container was opened after exposure to pressure to remove an amount for chlorination (using hydrochloric acid), however, nothing came out and Plunkett discovered that a white powder had formed which did not adhere to the container. The tetrafluoroethylene in the container had polymerised into polytetrafluoroethylene, the white waxy material was a solid with amazing properties such as resistance to corrosion, low surface friction, high heat resistance and is almost chemically inert to most solvents and acids, became the material now known as Teflon®.

Teflon®.
The first use of the product, trademarked Teflon® in 1945 by DuPont, was in military applications. Later, it’s remarkable properties were put to use as a coating in the first non-stick pots, pans and bakeware, which enabled the preparation of meals with little or no cooking oils, and revolutionised baking, no more cakes stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Research engineers became aware of the new material and it gained a pedigree in the use with extreme engineering applications during the 1940’s. In 1944 the material was given the trade name of Teflon®, which remains to this day. During the following years the material gained further prominence with the general public when it was used on cookware and many other kitchen related utensils.

PTFE and it’s variants have become a solution to many problems associated with modern manufacturing and materials handling, such areas benefiting from the material are; food processing and packaging, chemical protection and as a dry lubricant in place of oils. Other specialist chemical companies have expanded the technology and developed the business, thus offering almost unlimited opportunities within the range of PTFE coatings.

PTFE is extraordinarily resistant to chemical attack, and the surface free energy of solid PTFE is very low. This means that liquids do not readily wet the solid, and other solids do not adhere strongly. These properties render PTFE very valuable for forming protective surface coatings, in a wide range of applications from non-stick cookware to surgical sutures. However, the very properties which make PTFE so useful in such applications also make it very difficult to form PTFE coatings which are sufficiently adherent to their substrates.

PTFE coatings, Teflon® and Xylan® have gained reputations for their non-stick properties, however, in modern day life the material has been put to many other uses, including uses in aviation, electronics, telecommunications, automobiles and trucks, as well as pollution control and renewable energy projects.

Industrial coatings are aqueous based and are milky white dispersions of PTFE particles in water, stabilized by wetting agents. They can be further formulated to meet specific needs by adding other solid or liquid ingredients and pigments. These aqueous dispersions offer a practical method for coating or impregnating using a resin that does not respond to traditional solvent or melt-processing techniques.

Using new polymer technology and a cleaner, more effective new wetting agent, current PTFE products introduce a new generation of high-performance PTFE coating products.

Whitford WorldWide more information
Dupont more information