Most chemical-resistant material

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is truly a miracle material for the modern age. It was discovered in 1938 by Roy Plunkett while he was working for Kinetic Chemicals in New Jersey, USA, owned by E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company – or DuPont, as we know them today. As Plunkett attempted to make a refrigerant, the tetrafluoroethylene gas he used was catalysed by the residual iron in the apparatus to a waxy white slippery material coating. Analysis showed that it was polymerized perfluoroethylene. Kinetic Chemicals patented the new fluorinated plastic (analogous to the already known polyethylene) in 1941 and registered the universally known Teflon trademark in 1945. PTFE is used in applications from weatherproof clothing (“Goretex”) to non-stick frying pans (“Teflon”), and also in low-friction bearings for consumer white goods and moving machine parts. Its chemical resistance is second to no other plastic, and only fluorine itself can act upon PTFE. Flasks of PTFE provide the only way to hold the most aggressive acid in the world. There is no single measure of chemical resistance for materials, but PTFE is the only substance that is effectively chemically inert apart from its reactance with Fluorine, a constituent part of PTFE. Its enormous resistance to chemical attack comes from the fact that the material comprises only fluorine and carbon atoms in a very well-defined structure that has the third lowest coefficient of friction known. Fact: Geckos cannot stick to dry PTFE, although they can stick to wet PTFE.