What is Teflon used for?

Many people know that Teflon® is used as a coating in non-stick cookware products such as pots and pans. With this application, Teflon® creates a low-friction cooking surface that reduces stuck on food, cleans up easier and lets you cook with less fat.

What exactly is Teflon?

Teflon is a brand name for a synthetic chemical called polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). Teflon is used to coat a variety of products because it’s waterproof, cuts down on friction, and creates a nonstick surface. Teflon has been used since the 1940s and it’s found in everything from heat lamp bulbs to fabric protectors.

Is Teflon a plastic?

Teflon is the registered trade name of the highly useful plastic material polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). PTFE is one of a class of plastics known as fluoropolymers.

Is Teflon still manufactured today?

Teflon, it turns out, gets its nonstick properties from a toxic, nearly indestructible chemical called pfoa, or perfluorooctanoic acid. Yet it is still manufacturing and using pfoa, and unless the epa chooses to ban the chemical, DuPont will keep making it, unhindered, until 2015.

Do I have Teflon in my blood?

Studies have found that it is present worldwide at very low levels in just about everyone’s blood. Higher blood levels have been found in community residents where local water supplies have been contaminated by PFOA.

What is Teflon and what is so special about it?

Teflon is a brand name of a chemical coating, polytetrafluoroethylene (thankfully shortened and called PTFE). It was first made in the 1930s to create a non-reactive, nonstick surface. It’s known for its use in cookware, although it can also be used to coat other materials like wires or fabrics to make them waterproof.

What is Teflon and what is it made of?

Teflon is a synthetic chemical made up of carbon and fluorine atoms. It was first made in the 1930s, and provides a nonreactive, nonstick and almost frictionless surface ( 1 ). The nonstick surface makes Teflon-coated cookware convenient to use and easy to clean.

What are the common characteristics of Teflon?

Excellent thermal and electrical insulation properties
Low coefficient of friction
FDA approved
Chemical resistant
UL94-VO flame rating

What are the disadvantages of Teflon?

Depending on the application, the following disadvantages can rule out the selection of PTFE: Price – it is not a low-cost polymer Production sizes – it is not easy to mass produce It cannot be cemented It can change shape under pressure It is unweldable It cannot withstand extremely high temperatures and melts at 326 celsius