PTFE stands for PolyTetraFluoroEthylene. PTFE is a fluorinated polymer, a thermoplastic that was discovered by chance during an experiment in 1938.

Advantages of PTFE

PTFE has a number of desirable properties, the combination of which in just one material is quite unique.

• Very inert: Almost nothing reacts with PTFE. Even the strongest acids do not dissolve it.
• extremely low friction: PTFE has a very low coefficient of friction, i.e. it glides extremely easily.
• non-polar: virtually nothing sticks to PTFE because the surface tension is very low.
• High temperature resistance: PTFE can withstand continuous temperatures of approx. 250° C without damage.

Found everywhere in everyday life

In recent decades, these positive properties combined in PTFE have made it an almost indispensable material in countless products in our modern world. Whether as a low-friction and heat-resistant sealing ring in oil-free compressors, as a salt and acid-resistant protective coating in the chemical industry or as a membrane in rechargeable batteries, as a material for prostheses and implants etc. etc.

Perfect non-stick effect

And of course, the combination of low surface tension (so that nothing sticks) and high heat resistance has also paved the way for the success of PTFE as a coating for cookware, which has continued since the mid-1950s. No other surface coating has been able to surpass the performance of PTFE in the long term. That is why it is still the coating of choice when it comes to maximum non-stick performance over a maximum period of use (assuming proper use, of course).

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PTFE under discussion

Despite its many advantages and countless areas of application, PTFE is also the subject of increasing criticism. Why? Well, basically the advantage of PTFE is also its biggest disadvantage: it reacts with almost nothing and is extremely resistant. So if the material gets into the environment, whether through a lack of protective measures in production or through careless disposal, it is virtually impossible for it to degrade there. This has earned PTFE and the superordinate substance group PFAS the less than glorious name of "eternity chemical" and led to discussions about banning it. Read more about this in this blog article on a possible PFAS ban.