Polytetrafluoroethylene
Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), a strong, tough,

waxy, nonflammable synthetic resin produced by the polymerization of tetrafluoroethylene.

Known by such trademarks as Teflon, Fluon, Hostaflon, and Polyflon, PTFE is distinguished

by its slippery surface, high melting point, and resistance to attack by almost all

chemicals. These properties have made it familiar to consumers as the coating on nonstick

cookware; it is also fabricated into industrial products, including bearings, pipe liners,

and parts for valves and pumps.
PTFE was discovered serendipitously in 1938 by Roy Plunkett, an American chemist for

E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company (now DuPont Company), who found that a tank of gaseous

tetrafluoroethylene refrigerant had polymerized to a white powder. During World War II it

was applied as a corrosion-resistant coating to protect metal equipment used in the

handling of radioactive material for the Manhattan Project. For more than a decade after

the war, PTFE saw little commercial use, owing to difficulties encountered in devising

methods for processing the slippery, high-melting material. DuPont released its

trademarked Teflon-coated nonstick cookware in 1960.
PTFE Fine Powders
Chemours is a leading producer of fluoropolymers that include Teflon? PTFE

(polytetrafluoroethylene) fine powder resins.
These fine powders may be paste-extruded to create continuous-length PTFE articles

such as tubes, tapes, and membranes. PTFE fine powder is the preferred fluoropolymer for many applications,

including breathable hydrophobic membranes, aerospace/automotive hoses, and high-

performance wires and cables.
Features and Benefits
This family of fine powder fluoropolymer resins offers a wide range of characteristics

that include:
Excellent thermal stability
High stress crack resistance
High reduction ratio
Excellent color and clarity
Polytetrafluroethylene ultrafine powder
PTFE ultra-fine

powder can be prepared by irradiation at room temperature, followed by ultrafine

grinding. Fresh PTFE material, scrap or recycled PTFE waste, etc., can be used to

fabricate ultrafine powder. The use of recycled PTFE or waste to produce ultrafine powder

can reduce the cost and achieve the recycling of resources. PTFE ultrafine powder is

widely used as a functional additive in the fields of engineering plastics, anticorrosion

coatings, nonstick coatings, coil coatings, powder coatings, and inks. Shamrock

Technologies (the United States), Solvay Company (Italy), Lubrizol Corporation (Germany),

Kitamura Company Ltd. (Japan) and many other companies produce PTFE ultrafine powder. In

recent years, domestic Chinese enterprises have also made great progress in the technology

of manufacturing PTFE ultrafine powder.
The particle size of PTFE powder is usually tens to hundreds of microns, which is

suitable for producing PTFE sheet and pipe. PTFE ultrafine powder can be made by

polymerization, radiation degradation, and thermal cracking. The irradiated PTFE becomes

very brittle, and can be further fabricated into ultrafine powder by grinding or air-

jetting. The particle size is closely related to the absorbed dose. The higher the

absorbed dose, the lower the relative molecular weight of PTFE, and the smaller the

particle size of ultrafine powder. At present, PTFE ultrafine powder is mainly prepared by

radiation degradation at home and abroad, since high energy beam can effectively break the

molecular chains of PTFE at room temperature. For recycled PTFE, a very high absorbed dose

is required for the fabrication of PTFE ultrafine powder. Hence, it is normally irradiated

by EB accelerators. PTFE ultrafine powder is mainly used as an additive in lubricating oil

and grease, ink, paint, engineering plastics, leather, rubber, etc., in order to improve

antifriction and scratch-resistance.
PTFE teflon powder

is available as a white powder, often called fine powder. PTFE fine powder is generally converted into

usable articles (shapes, wire insulation and tapes, etc) via paste extrusion, followed by

post extrusion heating to remove residual hydrocarbon solvents and to increase material

density.
Products manufactured with genuine Teflon PTFE fine powder are rated for continuous

service temperatures up to 260°C (500°F).
The properties of Teflon PTFE fine powder are very similar to those of standard

Teflon? PTFE granular material.
Insulation for wire and cable, tubing, pipe liners, films, sintered and unsintered

tapes, micro-porous membranes, heat shrink tubing, bushings, push/pull cables, profile

shapes and other end use components requiring a high performance fluoroplastic material.
5 Key Products That Are Enhanced With PTFE Micropowders
Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) micropowders are used as additives in thousands of

products. They can add lubricity or improve friction and wear characteristics of base

materials. Because PTFE

micron powder is milled very fine, it can be compounded in rubber, plastics, or

dispersed in liquids. Here are 5 ideal applications:
Printing Inks
PTFE lubricant powders are superior to the conventional anti-scuff agents that are

used in inks. They enhance the preparation of offset, heat-set, gravure and flexographic

inks. They improve the rub and scuff resistance of printed stock. And they reduce

“blocking,” the undesirable adhesion of a painted surface to another painted surface or

material, reducing rejects.
In addition, micropowders can be easily dispersed at room temperature to make

processing cheaper and more efficient. Their lubrication properties reduce friction so

they slide and stack easier, and their temperature resistant properties allow them to be

used in temperatures up to 260 °C.
Coatings and Industrial Finishes
PTFE powders can be added to many industrial finishes to improve surface lubrication,

reduce blocking and promote scuff resistance. For example, they impart abrasion

resistance, corrosion resistance and anti-friction properties in bakeware and cookware,

and can be used to provide a non-stick surface.
Most bakeware and cookware are fabricated from strips of steel or aluminum that are

pre-treated with a PTFE coating. Micropowders also act as a processing aid during the

stamping, folding and cutting manufacturing process.
Paints
PTFE micropowders are added to decorative, masonry, aircraft and marine paints to

improve their water resistance, scuff and abrasion resistance, and anti-fouling

properties. These powders can also reduce flammability and improve paint’s spreading

rate.
The benefits of micropowder lubricants for paints include:
Matte-based paints that are traditionally difficult to clean become easier

with PTFE micropowders.
Marine coatings exhibit excellent anti-fouling properties.
Gloss coatings have a smoother surface and fewer imperfections due to the

small particle size.
Elastomers
Lubricants are added to elastomer formulations to improve the coefficient of friction

and wear properties versus solid lubricants, waxes, stearates, soaps, plasticizers and

oils.
Adding lubricant powders to natural rubbers and synthetic elastomers during processing

gives finished moldings many of the surface slip characteristics of PTFE. These

characteristics include: improved mold release, lower static and dynamic coefficients of

surface friction, abrasion resistance, elimination of stick slip and improved tear

strength.
Oil and Grease
PTFE micropowders are ideal for improving lubrication in applications that experience

extreme pressures, temperatures and environments. They are also used in applications where

conventional additives such as graphite and molybdenum are unsuitable.
In addition, PTFE additives offer cleanliness, an important characteristic for greases

used in food, pharmaceutical and dairy equipment. Because PTFE is not flammable, it is

ideal for applications where the lubricants are exposed to gases and other potential fire

hazards.
PTFE micropowders provide benefits to a wide range of applications for various

industries.