Teflon is a material that was discovered on accident by Roy Plunkett in 1938 while trying to create a new chlorofluorocarbon refrigerant. It is a very tough material with tough synthetic resins made by polymerizing tetrafluoroethylene. Teflon is most commonly known for the coating of nonstick cooking utensils and for its use as sealants and bearings in homes and commercial buildings. Teflon has been used in a wide variety of different applications. Teflon hose and tubing products are commonly used on high purity applications where the media running through the hose is expected to stay pure once it is moved through the hose. Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a synthetic fluoropolymer of tetrafluoroethylene. The best known brand name of PTFE-based formulas is Teflon by Chemours. Chemours is a spin-off of DuPont Co., which discovered the compound.
Teflon is primarily being used in the aerospace and computer application industries, because the material is excellent in the use of being an insulator in cables and connectors. Due to Teflon being highly heat resistant and its ability to be water resistant, frying pans and other cookware are perfect candidates for this material to be used on. It has also been used in outdoor apparel because of its ability to be resistant to heat/harsh temperatures and being resistant to water/rain.
This also makes Teflon hoses a great candidate for industrial applications, since their combination of moisture resistance, working temperature, and chemical resistance makes them unique. Flexible Teflon not only has been used in cookware and apparel, but the material has also been used in various different sealants and bearings to help keep homes heated and insulated and making sure water stays out. Floors and cracks inside homes and commercial buildings have been known to leak heat out, causing for high electricity bills, but Teflon has allowed for homeowners and commercial real estate owners to save money on their monthly bills.
Due to its extreme non-reactivity and high temperature rating, Teflon hose is often used as the liner in assemblies, expansion joints, and industrial pipe lines, particularly in applications using acids, alkalis, or other chemicals. The semiconductor industry has used Teflon hose and tubing since its inception. The properties of polymerizing tetrafluoroethylene/ Teflon have made it an excellent candidate for use in high purity applications. It is a thermoplastic polymer that maintains toughness, strength, and self lubricates at low temperatures. Also, the material has been known to be highly flexible at very high temperatures.
Teflon hose is a fluorocarbon solid, as it is a high-molecular-weight compound consisting wholly of carbon and fluorine, which means it has one of the lowest coefficients of friction of any solid. Which causes the material to be resistant to high temperatures and water. Teflon fluropolymer resins are virtually unaffected by weather, its resistance to extreme heat, cold, and ultraviolet light encountered in radar and other electronic components, such as antenna bushings, are excellent examples of the value of this material to the industrial designer.
Essentially these resins are fairly chemical resistant, only a few chemicals have been known to react with the resin, such as molten alkali metals, turbulent liquid, or gaseous fluorine; and a very few flurochemicals. The resistances to high temperatures and water have also made it an ideal material for cookware, apparel, and various different types of sealants and bearings; also Teflon hoses are being used in industries such as aerospace and semiconductor manufacturing. All these properties have proved that Teflon is a great material that can be used in a wide variety of products and industries.
