ABSTRACT
The chance discovery of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) by Roy Plunkett in 1938 occurred amidst research on new routes to synthesize novel refrigerants, one of which used the monomer tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) gas as a starting point. Upon finding a cylinder of supposedly compressed TFE gas to display no pressure, Plunkett had the cylinder cut open to find a white, waxy solid that had formed via polymerization of the TFE. This unusual solid seemed extremely inert, appearing to be insoluble in all solvents and to have an extremely high melt temperature [1]. Since that time, PTFE and the
13.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 397 13.2 Polytetrafluoroethylene ......................................................................................................... 398
13.2.1 Polymerization .......................................................................................................... 398 13.2.2 Structure ................................................................................................................... 399
13.2.2.1 Molecular Structure ................................................................................... 399 13.2.2.2 Crystal Structure ........................................................................................400
