Teflon

Teflon was accidentally invented by a chemist, Dr. Roy J. Plunkett. Teflon, also known as polytetrafluoroethylene, is the plastic that is used to coat pots and pans to give it a distinct sheen. It is a fluorocarbon polymer with slippery, non-sticking and stain-resistant properties. Dr. Plunkett was hired by E.I. DuPont de Nemours & company to work as a research chemist. At that time, he was doing research on refrigeration using Freon, a chemical. He was inspecting the compressed frozen sample of tetrafluoroethylene, which had been kept overnight. The sample polymerized spontaneously formed polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), now known as Teflon. Teflon in 1945 is a proprietary name registered in the US by DuPont. Teflon was introduced to the market as a non-stick cooking ware in 1946, and also as a stain-repellent for fabrics. Dr. Plunkett was appreciated by scientists around the globe and was inducted into the Plastics Hall of Fame in 1973.