Choosing the right plastic materials for scientific applications is the key to scientific success. Understanding the basic characteristics of fluoropolymer materials can be used as a reference for your laboratory equipment selection.
Table 1. Fluoropolymer materials characteristics
PTFE | PVDF | FEP | PFA | ETFE | ECTFE | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Max. Use Temp. °C | 260 | 150 | 205 | 260 | 150 | 150 | |
HDT¹ Temp. °C | 200 | 139 | 70 | 166 | 104 | 90 | |
Brittleness Temp °C 2 | -100 | -62 | -270 | -270 | -105 | <-76 | |
Transparency | Opaque | Translucent | Translucent | Translucent | Translucent | Translucent | |
Microwavability3 | Yes | Marginal4 | Marginal4 | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Autoclaving5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Sterilization5 | EtO Gas | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Dry Heat | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Radiation | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
Disinfectants | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Specific Gravity | 2.2 | 1.78 | 2.15 | 2.17 | 1.7 | ||
Flexibility | Rigid | Rigid | Excellent | Excellent | Rigid | Rigid | |
Permeability (cc.-mil/100in²-24 hr.-atm) | N2 | - | 9.00 | 320.00 | 291.00 | 30.00 | 10.00 |
O2 | 307.50 | 14.00 | 750.00 | 881.00 | 100.00 | 25.00 | |
CO2 | - | 505.00 | 2200.00 | 2260.00 | 250.00 | 110.00 | |
Permeability (cc.-mm/m²-24 hr.-Bar) | N2 | - | 3.50 | 124.34 | 113.07 | 11.66 | 3.89 |
O2 | 119.48 | 5.44 | 291.41 | 342.31 | 38.86 | 9.71 | |
CO2 | - | 196.22 | 854.82 | 878.13 | 97.14 | 42.74 | |
Water Vapor Tranmission Rate (g-mm/m²-24 hr. -Bar at 37°C, 90% RH) | 4.00 | 29.76 | 6.200 | 2.00 | 1.65 | 3.15 | |
Water Vapor Tranmission Rate (g-mm/100 in²-24 hr. -Bar at 37°C, 90% RH) | 0.26 | 1.92 | 0.40 | 0.13 | 0.11 | 0.20 | |
Water Adsorbtion (%) | <0.01 | 0.05 | <0.01 | <0.02 | 0.03 | <0.1 | |
Non-Cytotoxicity6 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Reg. Part 21 CFR | 177.1550 | 177.2510 | 177.1550 | - | 177.1380 | 177.1380 | |
Refractive Index | 1.3500 | 1.4200 | 1.341-1.347 | 1.3580 | 1.3580 | 1.4200 | |
Melting Point Range (°C) | 320 to 330 | 141 to 178 | 275 | 302 to 310 | 265 | 242 | |
Glass Transition Temperature Range (°C) | 120 to 130 | -60 to -20 | - | 90 & -80 | - | 85 |
1. HDT-Heat Deflection Temperature is the temperature at which a bar deflects 0.01' at 66 psig (ASTM D648).
2. The brittleness temperature is the temperature at which an article made of resin may crack or break when dropped.
3. The rating is based on a 5-minute test on exposed, empty labware using 600 watts of power.
4. Plastic will absorb heat.
5. • Autoclaving (121°C, 15 psig for 20 minutes)
• Gas-ethylene oxide, formaldehyde, hydrogen peroxide.
• Dry heat (160°C, 120 minutes)
• Disinfectants-benzalkonium chloride formalin/formaldehyde, ethanol, etc.
• Radiation-25 kGy (2.5 MRad) gamma radiation using unstable plastic
6. "Yes" means that according to the USP and ASTM biocompatibility test standards, the MEM elution technology was used to determine that the resin has no cytotoxicity on the WI38 human diploid lung cell line.
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