Teflon-what's the real story?

I've heard plenty about teflon being invented for the space program, I
think the story is that it was invented as wiring insulation for the
Mercury capsule, but with the recent press stuff about it, I've seen
reports that it was actually invented in the '30s. Which is it?

PTFE or polytetrafluoroethylene was discovered on April 6, 1938 by Dr. Roy
Plunkett at the DuPont research laboratories -- specifically the Jackson
Laboratory in New Jersey.

Plunkett was working with gases related to Freon® refrigerants when upon
checking a frozen, compressed sample of tetrafluoroethylene, he and his
associates discovered that the sample had polymerized spontaneously into a
white, waxy solid to form polytetrafluoroethylene or PTFE.
PTFE was first marketed under the DuPont Teflon ® trademark in 1945. The
molecular weight of Teflon can exceed 30,000,000, making it one of the
largest molecules known. The surface is so slippery, virtually nothing
sticks to it or is absorbed by it.

For this reason, Teflon was choosen to be used on non-stick cooking pans.

Today, Teflon applicaitons are used in cooking, apparel, automotice,
household,personl care and industrial areas.

DuPont even has a specific web site, devoted just to Teflon !
http://www.teflon.com/

g. beat

"Bill" wrote in message
...
I've heard plenty about teflon being invented for the space program, I
think the story is that it was invented as wiring insulation for the
Mercury capsule, but with the recent press stuff about it, I've seen
reports that it was actually invented in the '30s. Which is it?

Bill wrote:

I've heard plenty about teflon being invented for the space program, I
think the story is that it was invented as wiring insulation for the
Mercury capsule, but with the recent press stuff about it, I've seen
reports that it was actually invented in the '30s. Which is it?

The latter. Also, teflon-coated cookware went on the market in the
mid 1950s, and wasn't even a US invention.

Paul

On 10/7/04 5:57 AM, in article ,
"Bill" wrote:

I've heard plenty about teflon being invented for the space program, I
think the story is that it was invented as wiring insulation for the
Mercury capsule, but with the recent press stuff about it, I've seen
reports that it was actually invented in the '30s. Which is it?


And it's a terrible thing to use for wiring insulation, since it
cold-flows. It's banned for use in most aerospace applications that I am
aware of.

Brett

Bill wrote:
I've heard plenty about teflon being invented for the space program,
I
think the story is that it was invented as wiring insulation for the
Mercury capsule, but with the recent press stuff about it, I've seen
reports that it was actually invented in the '30s. Which is it?

A good rule of thumb is that, contrary to popular myth, very few new
technologies were invented by/for the space program.

And of course, also contrary to myth, we don't need to believe such
nonsense in order to rationalise space exploration. We can justify it
simply by agreeing, as a society, that exploration is something we want
to do with our resources.

-Mark Martin

In article ,
Brett Buck wrote:

On 10/7/04 5:57 AM, in article ,
"Bill" wrote:

I've heard plenty about teflon being invented for the space program, I
think the story is that it was invented as wiring insulation for the
Mercury capsule, but with the recent press stuff about it, I've seen
reports that it was actually invented in the '30s. Which is it?


And it's a terrible thing to use for wiring insulation, since it
cold-flows. It's banned for use in most aerospace applications that I am
aware of.

Brett

In most aerospace electrical applications, perhaps. It's widely used as
a seal material for low and moderate pressure fluid components in
aerospace applications.

--
Herb Schaltegger, B.S., J.D.
"Never underestimate the power of human stupidity."
~ Robert A. Heinlein
http://www.angryherb.net

In message ,
Herb Schaltegger writes
In article ,
Brett Buck wrote:

On 10/7/04 5:57 AM, in article ,
"Bill" wrote:

I've heard plenty about teflon being invented for the space program, I
think the story is that it was invented as wiring insulation for the
Mercury capsule, but with the recent press stuff about it, I've seen
reports that it was actually invented in the '30s. Which is it?


And it's a terrible thing to use for wiring insulation, since it
cold-flows. It's banned for use in most aerospace applications that I am
aware of.


In most aerospace electrical applications, perhaps. It's widely used as
a seal material for low and moderate pressure fluid components in
aerospace applications.

Is that because it _does_ cold flow?

"Herb Schaltegger" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Brett Buck wrote:

On 10/7/04 5:57 AM, in article
,
"Bill" wrote:

I've heard plenty about teflon being invented for the space program, I
think the story is that it was invented as wiring insulation for the
Mercury capsule, but with the recent press stuff about it, I've seen
reports that it was actually invented in the '30s. Which is it?


And it's a terrible thing to use for wiring insulation, since it
cold-flows. It's banned for use in most aerospace applications that I am
aware of.

Brett

In most aerospace electrical applications, perhaps. It's widely used as
a seal material for low and moderate pressure fluid components in
aerospace applications.


Oh, of course. Aerospace *electrical* applications is what I intended to
imply.

And to answer the other post, partly because it's compliant, but mostly
because it's chemically pretty inert. No problem at all sitting in NTO for
15 years.

Brett

"Brett Buck" wrote in message
...

"Herb Schaltegger" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Brett Buck wrote:

On 10/7/04 5:57 AM, in article
,
"Bill" wrote:

I've heard plenty about teflon being invented for the space program,
I
think the story is that it was invented as wiring insulation for the
Mercury capsule, but with the recent press stuff about it, I've seen
reports that it was actually invented in the '30s. Which is it?


And it's a terrible thing to use for wiring insulation, since it
cold-flows. It's banned for use in most aerospace applications that I
am
aware of.

Brett

In most aerospace electrical applications, perhaps. It's widely used as
a seal material for low and moderate pressure fluid components in
aerospace applications.


Oh, of course. Aerospace *electrical* applications is what I intended
to
imply.

And to answer the other post, partly because it's compliant, but mostly
because it's chemically pretty inert. No problem at all sitting in NTO for
15 years.


And of course, heat tolerance.

Brett

In message , Brett Buck
writes

"Brett Buck" wrote in message
...

And to answer the other post, partly because it's compliant, but mostly
because it's chemically pretty inert. No problem at all sitting in NTO for
15 years.


And of course, heat tolerance.

I thought its heat tolerance was fairly modest, and when it's heated
excessively it produces fumes you don't want to have around! There's
that odd warning about tobacco contaminated with Teflon.