Polytetrafluoroethylene (PFTE) is a synthetic fluoropolymer of tetrafluoroethylene. It is hydrophobic and non-wetting. Besides, it has a. high density and it is resistant to high temperatures. It is an incredibly versatile material and it has a wide variety of applications. PFTE is best known for its non stick properties, in general. The following questions will be answered in this article. Is. PFTE a Teflon and is PFTE safe? And does PFTE cause cancer? These are relevant questions and they have to be answered, because not everything is clear yet. And that is exactly the reason that we wrote this article, about Polytetrafluoroethylene, the synthetic fluoropolymer. In order to answer the first question, the question has to be asked. Is PFTE a teflon?
Is PFTE a teflon and is it safe?
When one chooses a polymer for their products, the questions are often about PFTE versus Teflon, because what in fact is the difference between this two? The only difference lies in the name, that is one thing we can say about the difference. And in order to make it clear, some history of Teflon will now follow. The properties of PFTE will also be told, to make this whole story complete. The history is as follows, the history of Teflon. There was a chemist in 1938, who accidentally discovered Teflon while he attempted making a new chlorofluorocarbon refrigerant. He patented the new fluorinated plastic and also registered this Teflon trademark after the Second Woldwar, in 1945 to be precise. Then in 1960, it was first introduced as Teflon-coated, non-stick. Amongst others, frying pans and as well as cookware. The properties of Polytetrafluoroethylene are the following.
- it has one of the lowest coefficients of friction
- It is hydrophobic
- It has a large operating temperature range
- It has a high flexural strength
- It has high electrical resistance
Nearly 50% of all products is used for wiring in aerospace as well as computer applications. This is the case because it has excellent dielectric properties. It is also coupled with its high melting temperatures and is a perfect substitute for the weaker and the lower melting point polyethylene that is used in low cost electrical applications. In humans, Teflon toxicity causes amongst others:
- Fume fever
- Influenza like syndrome
- Other, not very serious illnesses
According to the findings of a 2006 Environmental Protection Agency scientific panel that gives advice, the primary chemical that is used to make Teflon is a likely human carcinogen. Furthermore, how strong is PFTE?
How strong is Polytetrafluoroethylene?
Teflon (Polytetrafluoroethylene) is prepared by the polymerization of tetrafluoroethylene as shown below. If we took polyethylene and replaced all of the hydrogens with fluorines, we would have Polytetrafluoroethylene. The C−F bond is one of the strongest bonds to carbon known. As you add additional fluorine atoms to the carbon, the bond strength increases even further. The C-F is a covalent bond and it has a considerable ionic character, making the carbon positively polarized and the fluorine negatively polarized. It is this very high bond strength that makes fluorocarbons so stable: There are not many conditions that can supply enough energy to break this very strong bond and that is why we can say it is one of the strongest bonds!
