Non-stick surface

A non-stick surface is a surface engineered to reduce the ability of other materials to stick to it. A non-stick coating may be applied to a substrate to produce such a surface. One common application of non-stick coatings is cookware. Until recently, Teflon dominated this market. However, there are environment and health concerns related to the use of Teflon. Teflon contains Perfluorooctanoic acid, which is designated as a persistent organic pollutant under the Stockholm Convention and is targeted to be phased out. More recently, many alternatives to the familiar Teflon non-stick cookware have become available, including Thermolon, ScanPan technology, Ecolon, and hard anodized aluminum.

Teflon

Teflon is a trademark of DuPont used to refer to their non-stick products.

• Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a synthetic fluoropolymer used in numerous applications. PTFE's most well known trademark in the industry is the DuPont brand name Teflon. Perfluorooctanoic acid is an artificial acid. One of its most common uses is for processing polytetrafluoroethylene. See also polymer fume fever.
• DuPont markets several kinds of Teflon coatings for cookware. Arranged in order of decreasing price and durability they are: DuPont Autograph, DuPont Teflon Platinum Pro, DuPont Teflon Platinum, DuPont Teflon Select, DuPont Teflon Xtra, DuPont Teflon Classic and DuPont Teflon with Radiance Technology.
• Perfluoroalkoxy, another fluoropolymer with properties similar to PTFE, also sold under the Teflon brand name
• Fluorinated ethylene propylene, "Teflon FEP"

Thermolon

Thermolon is a trademark of the Thermolon Corporation. Thermolon is a patented mineral polymer based on silicon oxides. The Thermolon corporation claims that its coating provides environmental benefits related not only to the absence of any toxic chemicals, but also to the lower curing temperature of the coating, which reduces energy use. Thermolon Corporation states that this lowers Greenhouse Gas emissions vs. Teflon coatings.

ScanPan

ScanPan markets non-stick cookware made with patented ceramic titanium technology. While the non-stick coating still uses PTFE, it is applied without using PFOA as an emulsifier. The product is therefore marketed as "100% PFOA free".

Ecolon

Ecolon (ecologically-friendly nylon), is a ceramic-glass reinforced Nylon 6 or Perlon coating, commonly used in cookware.

The manufacturers claim that Ecolon coatings are highly resistant to scratches caused by utensils, metallic cleaning pads and abrasives, and withstand high temperatures, leading to great durability. Ecolon remains stable up to 450°C.

See also

• Tefal
• Teflon tape
• Teflon (nickname)
• Silpat
• Electroless nickel plating
• Lunac (alloy and trans-ceramic coatings)
• Silverstone (plastic)
• Excalibur (coating)

External links

• "Science plans 'non-stick' submarine", bbc.co.uk, 10 October, 2003
• "'Virtually non-stick' gum created", Rebecca Morelle and Liz Seward, BBC News, 13 September 2007