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If nothing sticks to Teflon - how does Teflon
stick to the pan?
Teflon, the non-stick coating used on pots and
pans, holds the title in the Guiness Book of
World Records as being the slipperiest substance
on earth.
Scientifically speaking, Teflon will not
chemically bond to anything, but can be forced
mechanically into small nooks and crannies. This
slippery substance adheres to their surfaces once
manufacturers sandblast them to roughen them,
apply a primer, and embed the Teflon into the
primer.
DuPont scientist, Dr. Roy Plunkett, accidentally
created the recipe for Teflon in 1938, while
attempting to produce a better coolant gas than
the one currently on the market. In doing so, he
toyed with different combinations of gases and,
either accidentally or intentionally, left one
batch of gasses in a container overnight. Upon
arrival at work the following morning, he found
that the gasses in the container had "vaporized,"
and in their stead, found a slippery, waxy solid,
which remained intact when exposed to corrosive
chemicals which normally eat through things with
which they come into contact.
The substance Dr. Plunkett discovered in the
container that day was tetrafluoroethylene
(PTFE), a solid version of fluorocarbons, or
freon. For pronunciation's sake, the doctor
shortened the name for the substance to Teflon,
but even the abbreviated name failed to nudge
DuPont into production of the product.
In fact, DuPont waited until 1948, ten years
after Teflon's discovery, before beginning its
production for commercial applications.
As DuPont dragged its heels in launching Teflon,
a Parisian named Marc Gregoire learned of it, and
successfully applied it to his fishing tackle to
prevent the line from tangling. At his wife's
urging, he managed to apply Teflon to her pots
and pans, and within several years, this
entrepreneur sold in excess of one million Tefal
(his name for Teflon) coated pots and pans.
The concept of Teflon coated pots and pans did
not stick in America. When UPI reporter Thomas
Hardie encountered one of these coated pans, when
visiting a friend who had just returned from
Paris, he saw a niche in the American market for
the slick pots and pans, and immediately
contacted Marc Gregoire in Paris. Hardie pitched
these pots and pans to every major U.S.
manufacturer of cooking utensils to no avail. His
next move in his quest for a buyer was to import
3,000 of the pots and pans, with the goal of
selling them to all major department stores. Once
again, he hit a roadblock until, finally, he
convinced a buyer at Macy's Herald Square to take
200 pans off of his hands. All sold within two
days, despite a major snowstorm.
Hardie had finally arrived, and could not keep up
with the demand for his product. While building a
manufacturing plant to produce the product, other
manufacturers of pots and pans took advantage of
Hardie's moment of silence on the scene, seized
the opportunity, and manufactured their own
coated pots and pans.
Today, the use of Teflon coating is firmly
embedded in America, and extends beyond pots and
pans to include bakeware and other kitchen
utensils. Hardie's initiative and staying power
paid off handsomely.
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