/ 2024 / … The story of Teflon is a stark lesson in unintended consequences, where a solution to one crisis sparked another. Born from the urgent need to replace toxic refrigerants in 1929, DuPont chemist Roy J. Plunkett accidentally discovered polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) in 1936. This remarkably inert substance, later trademarked as Teflon, excelled due to its robust carbon-fluorine bonds, offering exceptional resistance to corrosion.
