Home: Teflon

A popular variant of the frying pan is the non-stick frying pan. The best known version of the non-stick frying pan is the Teflon coated frying pan.

The Teflon coating was developed by the DuPont company. Sometimes referred to as 'Du Pont', it's one the biggest manufacturers of chemicals worldwide

Dupont, as well as developing Teflon, have also created other man made fibres such as Nylon, Kevlar and Lycra.

Dupont were founded in 1802 and are still based in Delaware, U.S. Delaware was the state in which the company was founded. Dupont are also based in the same city in which they were founded, Wilmington, the most populace city in the state.

Teflon is a registered trademark of Dupont. Teflon can be categorised as a plastic. Teflon is academically named polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), which is a fluoropolymer resin.

Fluoropolymer is a mix of carbon and fluorine, and it's key property is it's resistance to heat, acids and solvents. Fluoropolymer, and therefore Teflon were invented by Roy Plunkett, a chief chemist at Dupont.

Teflon has numerous applications and uses. While frying pans may be the best known domestic application of Teflon, it's industrial uses are numerous, such as coating pharmaceutical and cabling equipment.

Teflon coated pans can resist high temperatures. Up to and around two hundred and sixty degree's Celsius. Above two hundred and sixty degree's Celsius, Teflon will quickly begin to degrade and melt at around three hundred and twenty degree's Celsius.

It's important never to heat Teflon coated pans above it's degradation point. As PTFE will release toxic fumes, which inhaled, can produce flu like symptoms in humans.