Roy J. Plunkett
(1910 - 1994)
discovered
polytetrafluorethylene
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Roy
J. Plunkett was born in New Carlisle, Ohio on 26
June 1910. In 1935 he joined DuPont as a research
chemist in their laboratory in Deepwater, New
Jersey.
Whilst researching fluorocarbon refrigerants, Dr
Plunkett and his technician, Jack Rebok observed
that a cylinder of tetrafluorethylene gas under
pressure was apparently empty. On cutting open
the cylinder they found that the gas had
polymerised in the cylinder to a white solid.
Examination of the polymer showed it to possess
a remarkable combination of properties - chemical
inertness, low dielectric loss, resistance to
very high and very low temperatures and very low
friction. It was patented in 1941 and given the
name Teflon.
Dr Plunkett was inducted into the National
Inventors' Hall of Fame in 1985, 10 years after
retiring from DuPont as Director of Operations
producing their Freon refrigerants.
He died in Corpus Christi, Texas on 12 May 1994.
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