Polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE)

Discovery

 Accidentally discovered on April 6, 1938 by Roy

Plunkett, a research chemist at DuPont.
Teflon® Polymer
Teflon® Polymer (continued)
 Uses

 By 1941, PTFE had been patented and

had its first brand name Teflon®.
 By 1946, the resin product was being
used to produce machine parts for
military and industrial applications.
 In the 1960s it began its life in the
arena of nonstick cookware.
 Today it has expanded into a whole
family of polymers (resins, films,
coatings, moldable forms, powders).
 It is used in a wide range of industries
from aerospace to pharmaceuticals .
 It is used in wire coating, thin walled
tubing, hoses, packing , seals etc.
Manufacturing Processes

Granular, fine powder, and dispersion PTFE products

Extrusion

Sintering
 Testing of PTFE

Important Tests:
 Tensile test.

 Specific gravity
test.

 Thermal instability
test
 Recycling of PTFE

 It is easy to recycle since no chemical reaction is

necessary.
 Only the extruded forms are recycled (not the resin
or powerdered forms).
 The uses of recycled PTFE are restricted.
 It is typically ground up into fine powders and
used as additives in such products as inks, paints,
and cosmetics.