A.k.a.: Polytetrafluoroethylene, PTFE
Eric Alberigi, Michael Gammon,
James Morison

 Discovered on April 6, 1938 by a DuPont chemist Dr. Roy J. Plunkett
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 Consists of a chain of carbon atoms completely surrounded by fluorine atoms.
 Fluorine atoms shield the carbon chain due to strong bonds between them.
 Starts life out as a vinyl monomer.
 Undergoes free radical vinyl polymerization turning into polytetrafluorethylene.
6.

 Tensile Strength: 21-
34 MPa
 Melting Point: 327 °C
 Particle Size: 0.1-0.3 micron
8.
 Coefficient of Friction
Static: 0.12-0.15
Kinetic: 0.05-0.10
1.
5.

 Inert to virtually all chemicals.
 Lowest coefficient of friction of known materials.
 Lowest dielectric constant of any known plastic (1.89-2.1).
 Easy to mold and spin cast.
 Resists moisture.
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Teflon has the lowest dielectric constant of any known plastic, ranging from 1.89-2.1, and can maintain this constant at extremely high frequencies
(GHz) which is good for telecommunication devises.
1.
It has one of the highest dielectric strengths which means it can withstand a very high voltage without discharging.
10.
Teflon has a high chemical resistance to everything but molten alkali metals and fluorocarbon oils.
3.
Material
Air
Rubber
Nylon
Water
Pyrex
Fused Quartz
Teflon
Dielectric Constant Dielectric Strength
(10^6 V/m)
1.00059
6.7
3.4
3
12
14
80
5.6
3.78
2.1
n/a
14
8
60
10.

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Teflon coated cookware
Teflon impregnated clothing
Capacitors
Teflon infused oils
Teflon tubing, specifically for chemistry applications
Teflon coated bearings
Teflon bench laminates
Useful as a plastic substitute when harsh chemicals are involved

 This test was used to find the static and kinetic coefficient of friction of wood onto Teflon and other materials.
 Force probe was connected to a block and was pulled at a constant velocity.
 Force vs. Time was then graphed.

Material μ k
μ s
Material μ k
μ s
Teflon 0.162
0.177
Plastic 0.321 0.395
Teflon 0.160
0.206
Plastic 0.286 0.346
Wood 0.359
0.504
Metal 0.302 0.346
Wood 0.391
0.496
Metal 0.279 0.316
Increase in Friction Force

Wood:
Dynamic 73 % Static 108 %

Plastic:
Dynamic 55 % Static 63%

0.600
0.500
0.400
0.300
0.200
0.100
0.000
0.450
0.400
0.350
0.300
0.250
0.200
0.150
0.100
0.050
0.000
Coe fficie nt of Kine tic Friction
Material
Coe fficie nt of Static Friction
Material
Teflon
Wood
Plas tic
Metal
Teflon
Wood
Plas tic
Metal

 Why does Teflon have such a low coefficient of friction and is so non-reactive?
 Both of these attributes derive from the same property. When a foreign substance touches the
PTFE, it does not want to stick to it because the fluorine makes such a tight bond with the carbon the fluorine will repel the molecule trying to touch it, for this reason, Teflon has a very low coefficient of friction and is also non-reactive.

 This test was performed to determine the Modulus of elasticity of PTFE.
 Teflon plate was placed on two stands and a load was placed onto the Teflon. The deflection of the board was then measured.
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 In order to determine the modulus of elasticity, we have to factor in the size of our Teflon plate, to do this, we first find second moment of inertia: I =
WH3/12 where W is the width, H is the height of our sample.
 Next, we used the formula d = WL3/48EI, where d is the displacement, W is the load, L is the distance between the supports, E is the modulus of elasticity, and I is the second moment of inertia.
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Load (N) vs. Displacement (m)
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
0 0.002
0.004
0.006
0.008
0.01
Displacement (m)
0.012
0.014
0.016

Material Modulus of
 We determined the modulus of elasticity to be
0.82 GPa from the data taken above. This seems to be correct because it is relatively low compared to metals, this means that the
Teflon is not as stiff as metals that we have studied.
Aluminum
Magnesium
Steel
Tungsten
Teflon
Elasticity
(Gpa)
25
17
83
160
0.82
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
Question: If Teflon doesn’t stick to anything, how does it stick to my frying pan?
 Question: What National Monument uses
Teflon?
 Question: What are some good applications of Teflon?

 Answer 1: The pan is bead-blasted and a primer is applied to the pan, then the
Teflon is imbedded into the primer.
 Answer 2: The Statue of Liberty has a Teflon coated steel structure so it does not ruin the copper skin.

 Teflon's properties of being non-reactive and having an extremely low coefficient of friction gives it a wide variety of uses.
From Teflon coated bearings and windshield wipers, to stain resistant Teflon impregnated pants, Teflon helps improves our lives in many ways.
 It could be possibly the greatest material ever invented (by mistake) by man.

1. www.dupont.con/teflon/af/potapps.html
2. http://www.boedeker.com/teflon_p.htm
3. www2.rpa.net/~kras1474/tefuses.html
4. www.chemguide.co.uk/atoms/bonding/electroneg.html
5. www.chemguide.co.uk/basicorg/bonding/eneg.html
6. www.warwickmills.com/teflon.html
7. http://www.doitpoms.ac.uk/tlplib/BD1/printall.php
8. www.chenguang-chemi.com/sfn-1.htm
9. Callister, William D. Materials Science and Engineering an
Introduction. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons Inc., 2003.
10. Serway, Raymond A., and John W. Jewett. Physics for Scientists and
Engineers. Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole, 2004.
11. http://www.theaviary.com/teflon.shtml