Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a synthetic material accidentally invented in the late 1930s while a chemist was endeavoring to develop a new type of perfluorethylene-based refrigerant. Rather than achieving a chlorofluorocarbon, the scientist was surprised to find that the perfluorethylene used in the process reacted with the iron content of its container and polymerised under pressure. Less than a decade later, this new material was being distributed on a commercial scale and was eventually patented under the name Teflon®.

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is formed by the polymerisation of tetrafluoroethylene (TFE). The basic properties of PTFE stem from a very strong chemical bond between the carbon and fluorine atoms. PTFE has a most unique position in the plastics industry because of its chemical inertness, heat resistance, excellent mechanical, dielectric, anti-adhesion properties and low coefficient of friction over a broad service temperature and pressure ranges. The above properties assure wide application of this material in all industrial sectors.

During WWII, PTFE was used in the Manhattan Project to prevent the escape of radioactivity from the facility designated to produce the first atom bomb. The uranium hexafluoride was housed on an impressive piece of real estate measuring more than 2 million square feet (609,600 sq m). Apart from being highly toxic and corrosive in itself, it forms hydrogen fluoride, a dangerous gas, in the presence of moisture. PTFE was therefore used to coat the pipes, in order to make them leak proof.

The exceptional insulating properties of PTFE made it ideal for use in electronic components. First, it is non-conductive, which makes it resistant to high electric fields. Furthermore, it is highly resistant to water, heat, and chemical corrosion. As a result, its is also used to make laboratory equipment that comes into contact with hydrofluoric acid, which dissolves other materials, even glass.

PTFE also possesses very low frictional properties, traditionally represented by the term coefficient of friction. This measurement is relative and differs according to the materials brought into contact to generate or simulate friction. For plastics, friction is usually observed against polished steel. To place the low friction coefficient of PTFE in perspective, it is the only known synthetic surface material to which the toe pads of a gecko fail to stick. This quality makes it suitable for manufacturing parts that need to resist friction, such as gears and ball bearings.

PTFE is made up of carbon and fluorine atoms. The fluorine atoms are just the right size to form a helical shield around the carbon atoms. Because nothing can get close enough, this prevents any chemical attack on the carbon atoms. Fluorine is an extremely reactive element and the chemical bond between it and carbon is one of the strongest in organic chemistry. This is why PTFE can be attacked under only extreme conditions. The forces between polymer chains are extremely small, which gives PTFE its excellent low coefficient of friction.