The polymer PTFE (Polytetrafluorethylen) is an outstanding
polymer regarding its performance in many
ways. It shows a very broad temperature resistance
from minus 200° C up to 280° C in permanent exposure.
PTFE is also the polymer with the highest chemical
resistance among all plastics due to the extremely strong
bond between the carbon and the fluor atom. So it is
considered as chemically inert. And the third key characteristic
is its very low friction coefficient of around
0.1, in dry as well as in humid condition. Beside that it
is totally UV resistant and completely hydrophobic.
Normally such a number of great advantages are accompanied
with some disadvantages; in case of PTFE