Did you know that one of the most commonly used polymers in recent decades was accidently discovered in 1938? PTFE (commonly known as Teflon™) was a result of an attempt by Roy Plunkett, of the New Jersey laboratories of DuPont, to make a new chlorofluorocarbon refrigerant.
During this process the tetrafluoraethylene gas in its pressure bottle stopped flowing before the bottle’s weight had dropped to the point of signaling “empty”. Plunkett was measuring the amount of gas by weighing the bottle and became curious as to the source of the weight.
