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Why doesn’t anything stick to Teflon? - Ashwini Bharathula

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TEDEd Animation

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Teflon was in the spacesuits the Apollo crew wore for the moon landing, in pipes and valves used in the Manhattan project, and it may be in your kitchen, as the nonstick coating on frying pans and cookie sheets. So what is this slippery solid — and why doesn’t anything stick to it? Ashwini Bharathula describes the science behind Teflon.

Why do fluorine atoms in PTFE line up in a spiral fashion around the carbon backbone?

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TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Ashwini Bharathula
  • Director Andrew Foerster
  • Script Editor Eleanor Nelsen
  • Animator Andrew Foerster
  • Designer Andrew Foerster
  • Storyboard Artist Andrew Foerster
  • Illustrator Andrew Foerster
  • Character Designer Andrew Foerster
  • Sound Designer Devin Polaski
  • Composer Devin Polaski
  • Narrator Pen-Pen Chen

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