That fortunate day held a secret waiting to be unearthed -
The history of POLYTETRAFLUOROETHYLENE - PTFE began on April 6, 1938 at Du Pont®'s Jackson Laboratory in New Jersey.
On that fortunate day, Dr. Roy J. Plunkett, who was working with gases related to FREON refrigerants, discovered that one sample had polymerised spontaneously to a white, waxy solid
Novel Material Exhibits Unanticipated Properties During Characterization -
Testing showed that this solid was a very remarkable material. It was a resin that resisted practically every known chemical or solvent; its surface was so slippery that almost no substance would stick to it; moisture did not cause it to swell, and it did not degrade or become brittle after long term exposure to sunlight. It had a melting point of 327°C and, as opposed to conventional thermoplastics; it would not flow above that melting point. This meant that new processing techniques had to be developed to suit the characteristics of the new resin - which Du Pont ® named TEFLON ®.
Borrowing techniques from powder metallurgy, Du Pont ® engineers were able to compress and sinter POLYTETRAFLUOROETHYLENE - PTFE resins into blocks that could be machined to form any desired shape. Later, dispersions of the resin in water were developed to coat glass-cloth and make enamels. A powder was produced that could be blended with a lubricant and extruded to coat wire and manufacture tubing.
By 1948, 10 years after the discovery of POLYTETRAFLUOROETHYLENE - PTFE, Du Pont ® was teaching processing technology to its customers. Soon a commercial plant was operational, and POLYTETRAFLUOROETHYLENE - PTFE resins became available in dispersions, granular resins and fine powder.