First Synthesis of Teflon

[McCrum-67] Teflon was discovered in 1938 by R. J. Plunkett at the du Pont Jackson Laboratory. A tetrafluoroethylene cylinder was cut open with a welding torch after it failed to deliver a flow of gas, and upon comparing its weight to that of an empty cylinder, it was discovered to weigh morea

[McCrum]Teflon has a high melting point (327 deg. C) and an extremely low coefficient of friction. It withstands corrosive environments in a chemical plant such as gaskets, diaphragms, rings, tubing and taps.

Teflon undergoes "cold flow." It changes it's dimension when a pressure is applied, even at room temperature. Because of this, you can wrap the threads of screw with teflon tape, screw it in, and the polymer will flow in a way to seal empty space which would otherwise create fluid leaks during high pressure applications (example: a fluid mill that shakes corundom cylinders to grind a coal sample for an analytical test. The teflon tape keeps all the water in the plastic container during the shaking process.)

Last Update- January 11, 1995- wld