A Few Interesting Facts About Teflon

A few interesting facts about Teflon

 A Few Interesting Facts About Teflon

Teflon is a brand name for the chemical compound name of Polytetrafluoroethylene, or PTFE for short. The Brand name is owned by Dupont who accidentally discovered this in 1938 by Doctor Roy Plunkett. When it was first discovered it was in the form of a white powder.

The first commercial uses for Teflon was as a non stick coating for cookware. You may recognize this on your non stick frying pan or other kitchen utensils.

Teflon is heat and cold resistant. It can resist temperatures of up to 260C and can consistently operate of this level. Once this temperature is exceeded it will start to soften then at around 400C will start to give of fumes. If these fumes are inhaled it can cause flue type symptoms called polymer flue.

Teflon is used in many items we use in everyday life. Children’s school clothes can sometimes be impregnated with this to assist with the easy removal of stains.

Did you know that it is also used to coat brass bullets. This is to assist with the bullet as it travels down the barrel of a gun to provide the least amount of friction as possible.

Teflon can be processed in many ways. It can be used in a liquid form to then bake on to the surface of a heat resistant materials such as fiberglass or Aramid (Kevlar) woven fabrics. These finished products can then go on to be used as conveyor belts for industries that require the heat resistant properties they offer.

Another area that PTFE (Teflon) is used is the coating of hair straightener plates. The plates are hot and need to offer a smooth surface which PTFE provides.

Carpet protection is a more recent use for Teflon. Similar to Children’s clothing it allows for the easy cleaning of stains and offers extended life.