Fluoropolymers

fluoropolymers

10 materials across 1 types

About fluoropolymers

Fluoropolymers (PTFE, FEP, PFA, ETFE, ECTFE, PVDF, PCTFE, PVF): chemical resistance, temperature range and electrical data with sources.

Fluoropolymers are plastics built on carbon-fluorine bonds. They resist almost every chemical, work over a wide temperature range and have low friction, which is why they appear as seals, tubing, wire insulation and film.

They are softer and creep more than other engineering plastics, so strength values need their test conditions.

At a glance

Highest density: Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) reaches 2.18 g/cm³. Lowest: PVF starts at 1.37 g/cm³. (9 of 10 grades have a sourced value.)
Highest tensile strength: Polychlorotrifluoroethylene reaches 128 MPa. Lowest: FEP starts at 20 MPa. (8 of 10 grades have a sourced value.)
Highest young's modulus: Polychlorotrifluoroethylene reaches 5.65 GPa. Lowest: Perfluoroalkoxy alkane (PFA) starts at 0.48 GPa. (6 of 10 grades have a sourced value.)

Ranges run across the conditions each source reports (temper, heat treatment, form), measured at room temperature where the source says so.

How they compare

The same measurements for every material in the collection. A range means the grade has values under several conditions; "at least" means the source gives a specified minimum. "no data" means no sourced value yet. For ranked tables, open a benchmark.

Fluoropolymers: how the grades compare
Material	Density	Tensile strength	Young's modulus	Glass transition	Heat deflection temperature	Maximum service temperature
AFclear, amorphous fluoroplastic coating and optical-cladding polymer	2.15 g/cm³	26.9 to 28.4 MPa	1.6 GPa	160 °C	156 °C	no data
Polychlorotrifluoroethylenechemically inert, moisture-barrier fluoropolymer with low gas absorption at cryogenic temperature	2.13 g/cm³	32 to 128 MPa	5.65 GPa	45 °C	no data	175 °C
Ethylene-chlorotrifluoroethylenetough, chemically resistant semi-crystalline fluoropolymer for linings, pipes and cable jackets	1.65 to 1.71 g/cm³	48.3 to 55.2 MPa	1.65 to 1.7 GPa	no data	115 °C	149 to 150 °C
ETFEmelt-processible fluoropolymer for wire insulation, film and lined equipment	1.7 to 1.74 g/cm³	28 to 60.4 MPa	1.08 GPa	no data	no data	150 to 160 °C
FEPmelt-processible fluoropolymer for wire coating, linings and low-outgassing films	2.14 to 2.15 g/cm³	20 MPa	no data	no data	no data	204 °C
Perfluoroalkoxy alkane (PFA)melt-processible fluoropolymer for wire insulation, high-purity fluid handling and chemical linings	2.14 to 2.15 g/cm³	21 MPa	0.48 GPa	no data	91 °C	260 °C
Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)low-friction insulating and chemically inert polymer	2.14 to 2.18 g/cm³	no data	no data	-103 °C	no data	260 °C
Polyvinylidene fluoridefluoropolymer for moulded parts, films and lithium-ion electrode binder	no data	no data	no data	-40 to -38 °C	125 to 140 °C	no data
PVFweatherable fluoropolymer film with good atomic oxygen resistance	1.37 to 1.72 g/cm³	55.2 to 110 MPa	no data	no data	no data	107 °C
Crystalline polyvinyl fluoride with white pigmentbiaxially oriented fluoropolymer film with titanium dioxide pigment, used as a weather-resistant outer layer	1.37 to 1.72 g/cm³	55 to 62 MPa	2.66 GPa	-20 to 50 °C	no data	107 °C

What these materials are made of

Composition by weight, as printed in the sources for each grade (the first constituents listed).

Composition of each grade
Material	Main constituents
Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)	C 24.0% · F 76.0%
PVF	C 52.2% · H 6.6% · F 41.3%

Where they are used

Uses
Use	Grades
Low-index optical cladding and anti-reflective coatings	AF
Hydrophobic dielectric layer in electrowetting devices	AF
Inner layer of a liquid-oxygen composite hose	Polychlorotrifluoroethylene
PCTFE valve seats in oxygen regulators	Polychlorotrifluoroethylene
Insulation of wires and cables and protective film for electronics	Polychlorotrifluoroethylene
Primary and secondary jacketing of specialty data and heating cables, and wet benches for semiconductor processing	Ethylene-chlorotrifluoroethylene
Gaskets for storing liquid oxygen and other propellants in aerospace systems	Ethylene-chlorotrifluoroethylene
Pipes, fittings, tanks and linings for the chemical industry	Ethylene-chlorotrifluoroethylene
Wire and cable insulation (aerospace, automotive and appliance)	ETFE
ETFE film in building envelopes	ETFE
Wire and cable insulation	FEP
Pipe and valve linings and sleeves	FEP
High-temperature wire and cable insulation	Perfluoroalkoxy alkane (PFA)
High-purity fluid handling tubing, valve linings and containment fittings	Perfluoroalkoxy alkane (PFA)
Trailing umbilical cable insulation of the ISS Mobile Transporter (railcar), made of expanded PTFE	Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)
Spacecraft hook-up wire insulation (Teflon TFE and FEP)	Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)

When each grade fits

Best use and weak spots of each grade
Material	Best for	Weakest at
AF	Thin, low-index, optically clear and hydrophobic fluoropolymer coatings and claddings that must survive atomic oxygen in low Earth orbit	Strength and stiffness at high temperature: tensile strength falls from 26.9 MPa at 23 degC to 7.7 MPa at 220 degC, and the material decomposes above 360 degC
Polychlorotrifluoroethylene	Cryogenic and liquid-oxygen seals, valve seats and moisture barriers where chemical inertness matters more than stiffness	Ionizing radiation (it degrades like PTFE) and a low continuous service temperature compared with metals; a valve-seat study also found dimensional instability between 40 and 70 degC
Ethylene-chlorotrifluoroethylene	Corrosion-resistant linings, pipes and tanks, and wire or cable jacketing that must survive acids and solvents and still be tough	Atomic oxygen in low Earth orbit (far more than PTFE on the MISSE 2 flight) and overheating, which gives toxic and corrosive fumes including hydrogen fluoride
ETFE	Melt-processible, tough fluoropolymer insulation and film that resists atomic oxygen better than Kapton H and most hydrocarbon polymers	Ionizing radiation in air (elongation falls sharply above about 400 kGy) and continuous service above about 160 C
FEP	A chemically inert, electrically insulating and low-outgassing fluoropolymer that can be melt-processed into thin films, coatings and tubing.	Mechanical strength and ductility after long orbital exposure (Hubble retrieved specimens dropped to 0 to 25 percent elongation), and releasing hydrogen fluoride when processed above 250 degC.
Perfluoroalkoxy alkane (PFA)	Melt-processible thin films, wire insulation, and fluid components requiring extreme chemical inertness, low outgassing, and resistance to atomic oxygen erosion in low Earth orbit.	Low resistance to ionizing radiation (chain scission causes embrittlement above 10 kGy), modest mechanical tensile strength of 21 MPa, and release of corrosive hydrogen fluoride upon heating above 350 °C.
Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)	A low-friction, electrically insulating, low-outgassing plastic that resists atomic oxygen far better than Kapton, PEEK or most hydrocarbon polymers	Ionizing radiation (it loses strength and stretch at megarad doses), low strength (23 to 27 MPa at room temperature) and heating above 300 degC, where it gives off toxic fumes
Polyvinylidene fluoride	Chemically resistant moulded parts and lithium-ion electrode binder: a 1.78 specific gravity and a 169 to 171 °C melting range in the Kynar 1000 Series	Stiffness and heat under load: a tensile yield strength of 45 to 55 MPa and a heat deflection temperature of 125 to 140 °C at 0.45 MPa
PVF	Weatherable, tough, flexible thin film for outdoor or decorative surfaces where a pigment can shield it from atomic oxygen	Clear film erodes under atomic oxygen about as fast as Kapton H (NASA MISSE 2), so it needs pigment or a shield in low Earth orbit
Crystalline polyvinyl fluoride with white pigment	Protective outer films on solar arrays and aircraft interiors where weathering, UV stability and chemical resistance matter	Atomic oxygen erosion of thin films, which can peel at the edges, and the low tensile strength of the 1.5 and 2.0 mil white grades