A LONG JOURNEY: A BRIEF HISTORY OF PTFE

Let us be honest: most people uninvolved in industry have strong connotations between PTFE and kitchenware. However, a number of people are unaware of its exciting history. How has this material made such a long way from being a spontaneous discovery to flyingto space and eventually becoming one of the most essential materials in industry? What does it have to do with nuclear weapons and the 40th President of the United States? 

The concept of accidental inventions has become somewhat of a cliché in modern culture and PTFE perfectly falls into this category. It is worth mentioning that PTFE is one of very few polymers invented accidentally. A 28-year-old doctor of chemistry Roy Plunkett had worked on new refrigerants at DuPont for a few years. One day he was working with tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) gas when a problem occurred with one of the bottle-sized cylinders he had used the day before. When his assistant turned the valve to let the gas flow under its own pressure, it did not. The obvious assumption was that the cylinder was empty. However, it turned out to be much heavier than it was supposed to. Curiosity killed a cat but not Plukket as he opened the TFE cylinder to see what was inside. When he did so, it became apparent that there was no gas left. What happened in the bottle was tetrafluoroethylene polymerized into polytetrafluoroethylene, so instead of gas, the scientists found unusual white powder, which was solid, waxy and slippery. 

The concept of accidental inventions has become somewhat of a cliché in modern culture and PTFE perfectly falls into this category. It is worth mentioning that PTFE is one of very few polymers invented accidentally. A 28-year-old doctor of chemistry Roy Plunkett had worked on new refrigerants at DuPont for a few years. One day he was working with tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) gas when a problem occurred with one of the bottle-sized cylinders he had used the day before. When his assistant turned the valve to let the gas flow under its own pressure, it did not. The obvious assumption was that the cylinder was empty. However, it turned out to be much heavier than it was supposed to. Curiosity killed a cat but not Plukket as he opened the TFE cylinder to see what was inside. When he did so, it became apparent that there was no gas left. What happened in the bottle was tetrafluoroethylene polymerized into polytetrafluoroethylene, so instead of gas, the scientists found unusual white powder, which was solid, waxy and slippery. 

Not only has PTFE entered science and industry but also public minds. In 1980s the 40th President of the United States Ronald Reagan took his office and served through turbulent times: assassination attempt, arm race with USSR, invasion of Grenada, weapon smuggling to Iran. However, in Americans' minds his reputation remained almost unstained and none of these events „stuck” to him, just like with a PTFE-coated pan. In this way, he became known as the Teflon president. The same term was later used by press to refer to prime ministers and presidents all over the world. In this way, non-stickness of PTFE has become a part of our culture. 

Today seals and gaskets industry is impossible to imagine without PTFE. From 20% to 50% of all PTFE is produced specifically for insulation. For years demand for PTFE has been rapidly growing and the tendency does not seem to shift. In less than a century PTFE has made a long and thrilling journey. It started as an accident in a New Jersey laboratory, then aided in creating a nuclear bomb, flew to space, became a nickname for politicians and finally took its firm position in insulation for civil purposes. Who knows what other uses we may find for this truly unique polymer?