DuPont introduces first fluoropolymers made with supercritical CO2 technology

Citation

(2002), "DuPont introduces first fluoropolymers made with supercritical CO2 technology", Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, Vol. 54 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/ilt.2002.01854dad.007

DuPont introduces first fluoropolymers made with supercritical CO2 technology

DuPont introduces first fluoropolymers made with supercritical CO₂ technology

Keyword: DuPont

DuPont Fluoroproducts has introduced the first commercial DuPont Teflon fluoropolymer resins made using proprietary and fundamentally new manufacturing technology that replaces traditional water-based polymerisation with a process based on supercritical carbon dioxide (CO₂).

According to DuPont, the technology produces Teflon with enhanced performance and processing capabilities, while generating less waste. It was developed jointly by DuPont and scientists at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. The products are being manufactured at the company's Fayetteville, NC, USA, plant in a new US$40 million facility that started up in late 2000.

The process is first being used to make select melt-processible products for applications such as wire and cable insulation and jackets, flexible tubing, and industrial films. It can also be used to make other melt-processible fluoropolymers whose applications include high-purity fluid handling systems. The new products will be targeted at the data communications, semiconductor, automotive and other industrial markets.

"The commercialisation of these next generation products represents a true re-invention of fluoropolymer technology with the high level of performance that is synonymous with the Teflon brand," says Rajeev Vaidya, global business manager – melt-processible fluoropolymers, for DuPont Fluoroproducts. "The new products bring enhanced value to customers, and demonstrate the continued leadership and commitment by DuPont to the fluoropolymers industry."

"We also are pleased to introduce our new products as DuPont is celebrating the beginning of its 200th year," says Tim McCann, global business director –fluoropolymers, for DuPont Fluoroproducts. "This achievement, done in collaboration with a leading US university, is a great illustration of how DuPont is applying integrated science, knowledge intensity and productivity to re-invent and transform its businesses to compete in the twenty-first century."