Polytetrafluoroethylene
polymer / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Teflon" redirects here. For other uses, see Teflon (disambiguation).
In chemistry, Polytetrafluoroethylene (often shortened to PTFE) is a polymer of tetrafluoroethylene. It is a fluoropolymer, because the polymerization is based on strong covalent bonds of fluorine and carbon. Polytetrafluoroethylene is not very reactive. It also repels oil and water. E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company developed it in 1938.
It is better known by its trade-names, Teflon and Gore-Tex. Teflon is a coating for cookware and other tools. Gore-Tex is stretched PTFE, used as a membrane in clothing.