How was Teflon invented? Detailed answer

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How was Teflon invented? Detailed answer

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How was Teflon invented?

Despite persistent claims to the contrary, Teflon did not appear as a by-product of the space program. "Teflon" is a brand name for polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), or fluoropolymer resin. Teflon was discovered completely by accident by Dr. Roy Plunkett in 1938. It went on commercial sale in 1946.

While experimenting with refrigerant gases such as freon, Plunkett found that a sample left exposed to cold turned overnight into a whitish, waxy solid with rather interesting properties. Not only did the material have an unusually slippery surface, but it proved to be remarkably resistant to virtually all chemicals and solvents, including highly corrosive acids.

Plunkett's employers, the DuPont Company, quickly put the new discovery into practical use, first in the Manhattan Project (the code name for the nuclear weapons program from 1942-1946), and then for kitchen utensils.

No one has so far been able to pinpoint the source of the "cosmonautics" myth, except perhaps that the Apollo space program depended heavily on Teflon for cable insulation.

Other misconceptions about Teflon include the myth that Teflon-coated bullets are much better at penetrating body armor than any other bullets. In fact, the purpose of the Teflon coating is to reduce wear on the inside surface of the gun barrel, which has nothing to do with the effectiveness of the bullet itself.

Teflon does indeed have the lowest coefficient of friction of any known hard material - which is why it works so well as a non-stick coating for kitchen pans.

But if Teflon is so slippery, how is it made to stick to the pan? The process requires preliminary sandblasting, as a result of which many small scratches form on the surface of the pan, on which liquid Teflon is sprayed in a thin layer. All this is dried under the influence of high temperatures, Teflon hardens and seizes securely. Then it is coated with a special sealant and subjected to repeated heat treatment.

Author: John Lloyd, John Mitchinson

Random interesting fact from the Great Encyclopedia:

How many dog years are equal to one human year?

Not seven.

There is no reliable source of information that would help us draw a clear analogy of ages between mammalian species.

So, some twelve-year-old dogs and cats have a much higher level of physical abilities than the most jaunty grannies and grandfathers of eighty-four years. We must not forget about the rather large differences between the breeds.

The best one can suggest is to use an almost universally accepted approximate formula, according to which puppies and kittens mature much faster than babies, but after two years the rate of maturation decreases significantly.

Therefore, a one-year-old cat - about sixteen, in terms of the human age of a four-year-old cat, can already be compared with an adult man of thirty-two years of eight-year-olds - with sixty-four years, etc.

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Synchronous DC-DC Regulators Texas Instruments LM76002/3 18.04.2018

Texas Instruments has released new buck converters with up to 60 V input and up to 2.5 A output for the LM76002 and up to 3.5 A for the LM76003.

With a wide input voltage range, it is possible to simplify input protection circuits for 24V applications in industrial and automotive systems. Switching frequency adjustable over a wide range (350...2200 kHz) allows you to optimize the device either in terms of power loss or in terms of the space occupied by the solution on the board. The ICs have a large pad on the bottom of the package, which is designed to absorb power losses, which ensures excellent thermal behavior.

The presence of special grooves inside the pins of the microcircuit improves the quality of the solder joint and provides 100% visual control of the assembly process.

Technical specifications:

input voltage range: 3,5...60 V (maximum 65 V);
output voltage from 1,0 V to 95% of Vin;
rated output current: up to 2,5 A (LM76002) and up to 3,5 A (LM76003);
frequency is adjusted in the range: 350...2200 kHz;
low self-consumption current: 15 μA;
maximum efficiency reaches 97%;
configurable soft start (6,3ms by default);
the presence of a Power-Good output;
the ability to select the operating mode with forced PWM (FPWM);
high efficiency at low load (Light-Load Architecture mode);
operating temperature range -40...150°С;
case WQFN-30 size 4x6 mm;
there are versions of microcircuits with automotive qualifications.

Typical applications:

automotive electronics;
telecommunication equipment;
CCTV;
software logic controllers;
power supply systems from tires 24/48 Volt.

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