what is teflon?

Answer 1

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a fluoropolymer discovered by Roy J. Plunkett (1910–1994) of DuPont in 1938 and introduced as a commercial product in 1946. It is generally known to the public by DuPont's brand name Teflon.

PTFE has the lowest coefficient of friction (against polished steel) of any known solid material. It is used as a non-stick coating for pans and other cookware. PTFE is very non-reactive, and so is often used in containers and pipework for reactive chemicals. Its melting point is 385 °C, but its properties degrade above 260 °C.

Other polymers with similar composition are known with the Teflon name: fluorinated ethylene-propylene (FEP) and perfluoroalkoxy polymer resin (PFA). They retain the useful properties of PTFE of low friction and non-reactivity, but are more easily formable. FEP is softer than PTFE and melts at 260 °C; it is highly transparent and resistant to sunlight.

Answer 2

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a polymer that contains fluorine. It's brand name from Dupont is Teflon. It has many, many, MANY more applications than its use as the non-stick coating on cookware. The interesting thing about Teflon is that it has completely different properties inside, than it has on its surface. There is a name for this that escapes me at the moment that I learned waaaay back when I had Organic Chemistry in college. Anyway, it is that property that makes Teflon so unique. It can be tightly bonded to things like steel and aluminum, yet has the lowest coefficient of friction possible with these, on its surface. It is extremely slippery but can be tightly bound to a surface because of this difference in properties. Wiggy.

Answer 3

Teflon is a not stick substance, for the person asking how do you get in to stick to the frying pan, the surface of the pan is made pourous, ie with acid, so whilst the surface interaction is not stuck the teflon when set is physically held

Answer 4

Teflon is a fairly non-stick surface which has been used on the surface of frying pans, etc. for quite a number of years. It is what they call a polymer -- a long chain of carbon atoms which are all bonded together, in a long chain which forms a large molecule. Attached to each carbon atom on the "upper side and on the lower side" is a fluorine atom. These bonded-to-carbon fluorine atoms are what give Teflon its non-stick property. It might look like this:

F F F
I I I
C-C-C---
I I I
F F F

(No! That is NOT my Report Card! LOL! LOL!)

Answer 5

Real name is Polytetrafluoroethylene, a type of Fluoropolymer, and was discovered by Roy J. Plunkett who worked for DuPont. DuPont ten or so years later started to sell Teflon coated pans. It is a urban ledgend that it was invented by NASA for the Space Race. New materials such as Gore-Tex contain Teflon.

Answer 6

Teflon is the material of which former president Ronald Reagan was made. He was called the "Teflon president" because nothing ever stuck to him, whether it be a scandal or an idea.

Answer 7

Don’t stick with non-stick

What would you rather have – fried eggs that lift easily out of the pan, and pans that wash clean easily OR would you rather reduce your chance of developing CANCER?

The US Environmental Protection Agency safety review makes it fairly clear that a key chemical used in the manufacture of Teflon non-stick coatings, and described, as “an indestructible, toxic chemical that pollutes nearly every American's blood” is a "likely human carcinogen."

Dupont Teflon’s makers (and seven other companies) recently signed an agreement with the EPA, voluntarily – to say they would reduce the use of the suspect chemical (PFOA) by 95% over the next half a decade – with the objective of its total elimination by 2015…

So, only another 9 years of potentially increasing our Cancer risk every time we cook with a non-stick pan then!

[The Environmental Working Group posted their article on 30/1/2006 that refers to this report in more detail at: http://www.ewg.org/issues/pfcs/20060130/index.php]

As you try to find ways to defuse your ‘toxic time bomb’ – and reduce your exposure to carcinogens – you should consider investing in glass cookware, or at least good quality stainless steel pans. They may burn on the bottom if you take your eyes off them, and they may need a bit more elbow grease to clean…but ‘exercise is good for you’…and avoiding Teflon’s even better…

Answer 8

"Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a fluoropolymer discovered by Roy J. Plunkett (1910–1994) of DuPont in 1938 and introduced as a commercial product in 1946. It is generally known to the public by DuPont's brand name Teflon."

Answer 9

PTFE or Teflon is a synthetic coating used on cookware to make them non sticky.

Answer 10

teflon is the material with the world's lowest friction coefficient. i prefer my teflon on the feet of my mouse.