A fluoropolymer is a fluorocarbon-based

polymer A polymer (; Greek '' poly-'', "many" + ''-mer'', "part") is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic a ...

with multiple

carbon–fluorine bond The carbon–fluorine bond is a polar covalent bond between carbon and fluorine that is a component of all organofluorine compounds. It is one of the strongest single bonds in chemistry (after the B–F single bond, Si–F single bond, and H–F ...

s. It is characterized by a high resistance to

solvent A solvent (s) (from the Latin '' solvō'', "loosen, untie, solve") is a substance that dissolves a solute, resulting in a solution. A solvent is usually a liquid but can also be a solid, a gas, or a supercritical fluid. Water is a solvent for ...

acid In computer science, ACID ( atomicity, consistency, isolation, durability) is a set of properties of database transactions intended to guarantee data validity despite errors, power failures, and other mishaps. In the context of databases, a sequ ...

s, and bases. The best known fluoropolymer is polytetrafluoroethylene under the brand name "Teflon," trademarked by the DuPont Company.

History

In 1938, polytetrafluoroethylene (

DuPont DuPont de Nemours, Inc., commonly shortened to DuPont, is an American multinational chemical company first formed in 1802 by French-American chemist and industrialist Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours. The company played a major role in ...

brand name Teflon) was discovered by accident by a recently hired DuPont Ph.D.,

Roy J. Plunkett Roy J. Plunkett (June 26, 1910 – May 12, 1994) was an American chemist. He discovered polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), better known as Teflon, in 1938. Personal life and education Plunkett was born in New Carlisle, Ohio and attended Newton Hig ...

. While working with

tetrafluoroethylene Tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) is a fluorocarbon with the chemical formula C2 F4. It is the simplest perfluorinated alkene. This gaseous species is used primarily in the industrial preparation of fluoropolymers. Properties Tetrafluoroethylene is a ...

gas to develop refrigerants, he noticed that a previously pressurized cylinder had no pressure remaining. In dissecting the cylinder, he found a mass of white solid in a quantity similar to that of the tetrafluoroethylene gas. It was determined that this material was a new-to-the-world

. Tests showed the substance was resistant to corrosion from most acids, bases and solvents and had better high temperature stability than any other plastic. By early 1941, a crash program was making substantial quantities of PTFE for the Manhattan Project.

Properties

Fluoropolymers share the properties of fluorocarbons in that they are not as susceptible to the

van der Waals force In molecular physics, the van der Waals force is a distance-dependent interaction between atoms or molecules. Unlike ionic or covalent bonds, these attractions do not result from a chemical electronic bond; they are comparatively weak and th ...

hydrocarbons In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons are examples of group 14 hydrides. Hydrocarbons are generally colourless and hydrophobic, and their odors are usually weak or ex ...

. This contributes to their non-stick and friction reducing properties. Also, they are stable due to the stability multiple carbon–fluorine bonds add to a

chemical compound A chemical compound is a chemical substance composed of many identical molecules (or molecular entities) containing atoms from more than one chemical element held together by chemical bonds. A molecule consisting of atoms of only one element ...

. Fluoropolymers may be mechanically characterized as

thermoset In materials science, a thermosetting polymer, often called a thermoset, is a polymer that is obtained by irreversibly hardening (" curing") a soft solid or viscous liquid prepolymer ( resin). Curing is induced by heat or suitable radiation ...

s or

thermoplastic A thermoplastic, or thermosoft plastic, is any plastic polymer material that becomes pliable or moldable at a certain elevated temperature and solidifies upon cooling. Most thermoplastics have a high molecular weight. The polymer chains associate ...

s. Fluoropolymers can be homopolymers or Copolymer.

Examples of monomers used to prepare fluoropolymers

* Perfluorocycloalkene (PFCA) *

Ethylene Ethylene (IUPAC name: ethene) is a hydrocarbon which has the formula or . It is a colourless, flammable gas with a faint "sweet and musky" odour when pure. It is the simplest alkene (a hydrocarbon with carbon-carbon double bonds). Ethylene i ...

(Ethane) (E) *

Vinyl fluoride Vinyl fluoride is an organic halide with the chemical formula C2H3F. It is a colorless gas with a faint etherlike odor. It is used as the monomeric precursor to the fluoropolymer polyvinylfluoride. Production It was first prepared in 1901 by F ...

(fluoroethylene) (VF1) * Vinylidene fluoride (1,1-difluoroethylene) (VDF or VF2) *

Tetrafluoroethylene Tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) is a fluorocarbon with the chemical formula C2 F4. It is the simplest perfluorinated alkene. This gaseous species is used primarily in the industrial preparation of fluoropolymers. Properties Tetrafluoroethylene is a ...

(TFE) *

Chlorotrifluoroethylene Chlorotrifluoroethylene (CTFE) is a chlorofluorocarbon with chemical formula CFCl=CF2. It is commonly used as a refrigerant in cryogenic applications. CTFE has a carbon-carbon double bond and so can be polymerized to form polychlorotrifluoroethy ...

(CTFE) *

Propylene Propylene, also known as propene, is an unsaturated organic compound with the chemical formula CH3CH=CH2. It has one double bond, and is the second simplest member of the alkene class of hydrocarbons. It is a colorless gas with a faint petro ...

(P) *

Hexafluoropropylene Hexafluoropropylene is the fluoroalkene with the formula CF3CF=CF2. It is the perfluorocarbon counterpart to the hydrocarbon propylene. It is mainly used to produce copolymers with tetrafluoroethylene. Hexafluoropropylene is used as a chemical ...

(HFP) * Perfluoropropylvinylether (PPVE) * Perfluoromethylvinylether (PMVE)

Current market and forecast

The global demand on fluoropolymers was estimated at US$7.25 billion in 2011. Driven by new developments of products, applications, and processes, as well as strong demands in new markets, the demand is expected to grow by 5.8% in the following years. Some of the world's largest manufacturers of fluoropolymers include DuPont, 3M, Solvay Chemicals, BASF and Dyneon.

Examples of fluoropolymers

Typical properties

References

{{Authority control Organofluorides Polymers Thermoplastics