What was the original use for teflon?

Question

I know Teflon is used in cooking and that it was used for wiring and stuff but what was it originaly made for?

Answer 1

I have no references handy, but this is the story I heard - from a person who worked at DuPont, the makers of Teflon.  He gave a seminar at the university where I was studying for my PhD in Chemistry (where the "Doc" part of my name originates.)

History lesson:  Back in pre-1900s France, a chemist was known to be working of fluorocarbon chemistry.  Nobody knows exactly what he made, but he blew up his lab and half the city block with it.  His papers (and he) were lost forever.

Time passes and suddenly it is the start of WW II, with lots of interest in explosives.  Someone came across the historical description of that event and said, "Wow, something that can blow up half a city block from simple laboratory equipment?  Let's MAKE some!"  Except that the French chemist's notes were blown to ash, so they had to look at his prior work and guess.  They worked until the war ended, making gallons of stuff out of flourine and miscellaneous organic chemicals, but none of it blew up.  The leftover "slop" went into steel barrels and got shipped out to a desert for safe storage.

Time passed and the Army said, "Let's dispose of the glop that we were experimenting on.  It's in those barrels."  When they got to one barrel, it was partly polymerized tetrafluoro-ethylene.  PTFE, for short.  Having baked under the sun of the Nevada desert for years, it had further polymerized to form a gunk that wouldn't pour out of the steel barrel.  So they cut it open to see how to dispose of it, only to find a really smooth, low-friction material.  Well, it was a contractor doing the disposal and unlike Army brass, contractors occasionally can have an idea.  So they got permission to examine this otherwise waste material - and Teflon was born from a lump of poly-tetrafluoroethylene.

Answer 2

Some dude Plunkett was trying to make a new refrigerant but got teflon instead. Teflon isnt whats its really cxalled either its just du ponts name for it. It was used in WWII to help make the atomic bomb ( i forget doing what) and was used on the nose cones of some bombs too.

edit. I just read the other guys answer and thought id research it more since hes dead wrong.

Theres no mysterious french scientist and its not pre 1900's

It was discovered in 1938 by Roy Plunkett by accident. It didnt blow up, the military didnt ship it for storage to desert bases. It became polymerized overnight while Mr. Plunkett was doing his experiments to find a new refrigerant. When he tried to pour it out of the can it was no longer liquid but white and flaky.

I cant believe people in Phd lecture tell lies like that.

Answer 3

It was actually invented by accident. Check the link for the history of Teflon.

Answer 4

it was originally made for space, but the united states said any thing made by nasa is available to the public.