Polytetrafluoroethane Essay

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Polytetrafluoroethene Teflon History PTFL was accidentally created by Roy Plunkett of Kinetic Chemical Company in 1938. Plunkett was trying to create a new refrigerant when the fluoroethene he was using polymerized in its storage container. It was patented by Kinetic Chemicals in 1941 and Teflon became a registered trademark in 1944. It was first sold commercially in 1946. In 1950 DuPont had acquired full ownership of Teflon and was producing over a million pounds per year. http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Polytetrafluoroethene About the Monomer: The monomer which makes up the polymer of polytetrafluoroethene, or Teflon, is called tetrafluoroethene. The monomer itself is composed of an ethene molecule which has had all of its hydrogen atoms replaced by fluorine atoms. How Its Made: Because Teflon is synthesized through the addition polymerization process, it undergoes the three stages; initiation, propagation, and termination. After all of the tetrafluoroethene has been created through a series of substitution reactions, its carbon-carbon double bond breaks open, making the monomer available to bond with two other molecules. The unpaired electrons can now link with another Teflon monomer at either end if the broken double bond. As the monomers link together, the chain “propagates”. The chain growth is terminated when any two unpaired electrons ends combine, forming a link between the two chains. Physical Properties: Teflon is a white solid at room temperature, with a density of about 2.2g/cm3 and a melting point of 327° C (620.6° F). The coefficient of friction is 0.1 or less, making it the second lowest of any known solid material. Teflon’s resistance to van der Waals forces means that is the only known surface to which a gecko cannot stick. Teflon is also used in insulating cables due to its excellent dielectric properties. Intermolecular
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