What is PTFE and What is the Application of PTFE
PTFE or polytetrafluoroethylene is a high-performance and versatile fluoropolymer made up of carbon and fluorine atoms. A fluoropolymer is a group of plastics offering a wide array of properties and benefits. PTFE is one such fluoropolymer, and its discovery reformed the fluoropolymer group forever and paved the way for several applications.
One of the common applications for PTFE material includes non-stick coatings for kitchen cookware. Thanks, to its non-reactive nature, partly because of the strength of carbon-fluorine bonds, it is often utilized for making pipeworks and containers for reactive and corrosive chemicals.
Like many other great discoveries, PTFE was found accidentally. Roy J. Plunkett first discovered it in 1938. At the time, he was working in new jersey for Dupont. Plunkett’s original purpose was to make a new chlorofluorocarbon refrigerant. However, the tetrafluoroethylene gas in its pressure bottle stopped flowing before the bottle’s weight had gone to the point signaling “empty.”
But as Plunkett measured the amount of gas used by weighing the bottle, he became interested in the source of weight and finally decided to split the bottle apart.
He found the interior of the bottle coated with a white waxy, and slippery material. Later it was named polymerized perfluoroethylene, and the iron from the container’s inside acted as a catalyst.
The new material was patented by kinetic chemicals in 1941 as new fluorinated plastic and registered the Teflon trademark in 1945. Fast forward to the year 1961, when the first US-made PTFE-coated pan was marketed in the United States as “The Happy Pan.” Since then, there is no looking back, and non-stick cookware has been one of the most common household products produced by thousands of manufacturers and available worldwide.
PTFE Applications –
In general, fluorinated thermoplastics are utilized for high-performance applications with high heat, high purity, low temperatures, chemical inertness, non-sticking, and self-lubricating properties. Below are some of the most common PTFE uses:
Engineering – bearing, non-stick surfaces, seats, plugs, fittings, valve, and pump parts.
Medical – heart patches, cardiovascular grafts, ligament replacement.
Chemical Industry – pumps, diaphragms, impellers, Coatings for heat exchangers, autoclaves, reaction vessels, tanks, containers, etc.
Automotive – valve stem seals, shaft seals, gaskets, O-rings, linings for fuel hoses, power steering, transmission, etc.
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