Teflon™ & Tefzel™Chemours Film: Attributes and Applications

Teflon™ & Tefzel™ Chemours Film: Attributes and Applications
The Chemours Company is a leading global provider of performance chemicals, offering a wide array of products and solutions for companies across industries. Plastic film is one of their main offerings.
 

 
Two of the most popular plastic film products offered are Chemours Teflon™ Brand Industrial Products and Chemours Tefzel™ Brand Industrial Products. These two fluoropolymer films have many of the same qualities, including optical clarity and incredible tensile strength, which make them a popular choice across industries from aerospace companies to industrial centers.
 
However, there are also some key differences that distinguish the two main Chemours film options. Here’s a guide to these two popular Chemours film materials.
 

Attributes of Teflon™ Chemours Film

 
Teflon™ is a thermoplastic resin used in a huge array of applications. These transparent, thermoplastic films can provide an effective layer of protection or covering that is incredibly thin. In fact, one of the main qualities that Teflon film is known for is its ductility, which allows it to be formed into nearly any shape without losing any of its toughness.
 
Another quality that Teflon™ is quite well known for is its superior anti-stick qualities. Its resistance to friction, impact, and tearing make it versatile and ideal for applications that need to reduce wear or facilitate smooth, easy movement.
 
These are just a few of the qualities that make Teflon™ stand out from other materials. Additional attributes include solvent resistance, long-term weather resistance, and the ability to withstand a huge range of temperatures. This type of film also comes in a huge array of gauges and is even available with different surface treatments to suit various applications and needs.
 

Applications of Teflon™ Chemours Film

 
Because of its non-stick properties, Teflon may be most notable for its use in cookware to reduce messes and cleanup. However, it is also selected for many industrial applications due to this powerful quality. For example, it’s often used as a coating over roll liners, mold releases, and any area in a manufacturing plant or industrial facility that may need an extra layer of protection to reduce friction.
 
The ability to allow other materials to simply roll off the surface allows Teflon™ to provide a truly unique form of protection to various surfaces. For example, it can be used as an anti-graffiti coating over surfaces that may be prone to vandalism. It can even be used over erasable surface coverings to ensure that any markings can easily be wiped away.
 
In addition, Teflon™ can prevent corrosion and provides stability at an array of temperatures, so it’s often used in circuitry, cable insulation, photovoltaic cell glazing, and fuel hose barriers. It’s also commonly used in packaging materials that may need to be sterilized, since these processes often involve heat and/or chemicals that can damage many other materials.
 

Attributes of Tefzel™ Film

 
Tefzel™ is similar to Teflon™ in many of its attributes and characteristics. Both are transparent thermoplastic films that resist friction and can coat a huge array of surfaces to provide protection in various environments.
 
However, the difference between the two lies in their chemical makeup. Teflon is usually Polytetrafluoroethylene or PTFE. However, Tefzel is ETFE, or ethylene tetrafluoroethylene. It is still a fluorine-based plastic. However, a few of the key qualities do vary slightly.
 
Specifically, Tefzel™ was designed to have high corrosion resistance and strength over a huge range of different temperatures. ETFE does have a relatively high melting point and excellent chemical, electrical, and radiation resistance properties within that range. However, if the material goes above that range or is burned, it can release hydrofluoric acid.
 
In addition to these chemical properties, Tefzel™ differs from Teflon™ because it is less dense, but exhibits more toughness, stiffness, tensile strength, and creep resistance than Teflon™.
 

Applications of Tefzel™ Film

 
Since Teflon™ and Tefzel™ have many of the same qualities and a similar chemical makeup as fluoropolymers, the two materials can be used for many of the same applications.
 
ETFE was originally developed to provide a lightweight, heat resistant film for use in the aerospace industry. Since this industry uses high powered equipment that often produces a lot of heat, regulations require the use of materials that hold up well in these environments. And aerospace companies always need thin, lightweight materials to keep machinery as aerodynamic and energy efficient as possible. More specifically, many aerospace firms use this material as a coating over things like cable wraps and wires to provide extra insulation and durability.
 
Tefzel™ can also be a powerful option for preventing corrosion on a variety of surfaces. For example, it can be bonded with other thermoplastic liners and used in pipes, tanks, and vessels that hold liquid to improve the longevity and durability of those materials.
 
Tefzel™ is also commonly used within the nuclear industry. Similar to its use cases in aerospace films, nuclear power companies commonly use it as a coating over wires or cables to increase durability even in heat sensitive environments. It’s such a popular option in these fields because ETFE has more mechanical toughness than other plastic coating options like PTFE. It also exhibits a high-energy radiation resistance and can hold its original chemical structure in moderately high temperatures for prolonged periods of time.
 
If you’re in the market for Teflon™, Tefzel™, or any Chemours film products, PolymerFilms can help. We offer a wide variety of plastic film products and solutions from top industry manufacturers, including Chemours. Our team can help you identify the specific materials and customization services to best suit your projects, and we provide fast quotes and shipping to ensure your operations run as smoothly as possible. To learn more about Chemours film or place an order, just visit our website to request a free consultation with your nearest PolymerFilms branch.