The discovery of Teflon® began with a loud bang. An American chemist, Roy Plunkett, was experimenting with tetrafluoroethylene gas in 1938 in a laboratory in New Jersey. Suddenly, there was a powerful explosion!
To the chemist's astonishment he found that the remains of his apparatus contained a white, waxy powder. Closer investigation revealed that this was a polymer of tetrafluoroethylene, which has many remarkable characteristics.
The new plastic, which was soon given the name Teflon®, is unique because it is impervious to acids, cold and heat. Teflon® is now best-known for its slipperiness - which makes it useful for coating pots and pans for easy cooking and cleaning. This material has also found its way into a wide range of uses that go far beyond the frying pan; from chemical-proof pipes for industrial machinery, through medical injection tubes and all the way to microelectronics. There is still no sign of the Teflon® boom coming to an end.
Gore-Tex®, which is a Teflon®-treated synthetic polymer, is an amazing, breathable, waterproof textile found in high-performance clothes such as walking boots and mountain coats. Unlike ordinary synthetic textiles like nylon, Gore-Tex® stops rain from getting in but lets perspiration out. So it keeps you dry on the outside and dry on the inside at the same time.
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