PFPE / PTFE
Polytetrafluoroethylene (abbreviation PTFE, occasionally also polytetrafluoroethene) is an unbranched, linearly structured, partially crystalline polymer made of fluorine and carbon. Colloquially, this plastic is often referred to by the trade name Teflon from DuPont.
PTFE belongs to the class of polyhalogenolefins, which also includes PCTFE (polychlorotrifluoroethylene). It belongs to the group of thermoplastics, although it also has properties that require processing that is more typical for thermoset plastics.
Characteristics
PTFE is very inert. Even aggressive acids such as aqua regia cannot attack PTFE. The reason is, on the one hand, the particularly strong bond between the carbon and fluorine atoms, as fluorine is the element with the strongest electronegativity. Many substances fail to break the bonds and react chemically with PTFE. Furthermore, PTFE is kinetically inhibited by the compact shell made of fluorine atoms, which protects the carbon strand inside.
It is extremely resistant to all bases, alcohols, ketones, benzines, oils etc. It is only unstable to very strong reducing agents such as solutions of alkali metals (e.g. sodium) in liquid ammonia or to very strong oxidizing agents such as elemental fluorine at higher temperatures ; Operating temperature up to 260 ° C (at temperatures above 400 ° C highly toxic pyrolysis products such as fluorophosgene (COF2) are released, which can lead to Teflon fever); frost-resistant down to −270 ° C; can only be glued after pretreatment; Welding possible, but not common; slightly waxy surface (not as pronounced as with PE); physiologically harmless.
There are almost no materials that stick to PTFE because the surface tension is extremely low. PTFE is difficult to wet and hardly sticky. The contact angle with water is 126 °.
Product Development
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