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

Translator: Putri Hapsari Reviewer: Ade Indarta

Nothing stuck to Mafia boss John Gotti

Sulit menangkap si licin John Gotti, bos mafia

who evaded justice for years by bribing and threatening jurors and witnesses.

yang kerap lolos dengan menyuap dan mengancam juri dan saksi.

That earned him the name the Teflon Don

Itulah mengapa ia dijuluki Teflon Don,

after one of the slipperiest materials on Earth.

merujuk nama bahan terlicin di dunia.

Teflon was in the spacesuits the Apollo crew wore for the moon landing,

Teflon merupakan bahan kostum kru Apollo yang mendarat di bulan,

in pipes and valves used in the Manhattan Project,

bahan pipa dan katup yang dipakai di Proyek Manhattan,

and maybe in your kitchen as the nonstick coating on frying pans and cookie sheets.

dan di dapur sebagai pelapis anti lengket wajan dan loyang.

So what is this slippery solid, and why doesn't anything stick to it?

Jadi apa lapisan licin ini, dan apa yang membuatnya anti lengket?

Teflon is a brand name for polytetrafluoroethylene,

Teflon adalah nama merek dari polytetrafluoroethylene,

or PTFE.

atau PTFE.

It was stumbled upon accidentally in 1938 by a 27-year-old American chemist

Ditemukan tahun 1938 oleh ahli kimia Amerika berusia 27 tahun

named Roy Plunkett

bernama Roy Plunkett

while he was trying to develop a non-toxic refrigerant fluid for DuPont,

saat dia mencoba membuat cairan pendingin yang aman untuk DuPont,

a chemicals company.

sebuah perusahaan bahan kimia.

The strange, white substance that formed inside his lab canister

Zat aneh berwarna putih yang terbentuk dalam kanisternya

was chemically inert,

tak bereaksi secara kimiawi,

meaning it wouldn't react with other substances.

maksudnya, zat itu tak bereaksi dengan zat lain.

It also had an extremely low coefficient of friction,

Zat itu juga memiliki koefisien gesek yang sangat rendah,

making other materials slide right off it.

yang membuat materi lain tergelincir jika mengenainya.

Teflon's properties make it perfect when you need something slippery,

Sifat-sifat Teflon cocok untuk pembuatan bahan-bahan licin,

chemical resistant,

tahan kimia,

or waterproof,

atau tahan air,

which means it has a lot of applications.

yang berarti zat ini multifungsi.

It can be found all over the place,

Bisa ditemukan di banyak tempat,

as a coating on raincoats,

misal, bahan lapisan jas hujan,

industrial ball bearings,

bantalan bola industri,

artificial joints,

sendi buatan,

circuit boards,

papan sirkuit,

and even the Rocky Mountains-themed roof of the Denver International Airport.

bahkan atap tematik Rocky Mountains di Bandara Internasional Denver.

The incredible properties of PTFE come from its molecular structure.

Sifat-sifat PTFE yang luar biasa ini berasal dari struktur molekulnya,

It's a polymer,

yang disebut polimer,

meaning it's made of long chains of repeating units of atoms strung together.

yaitu molekul raksasa yang terbentuk dari rangkaian rantai-rantai atom.

A PTFE chain has a backbone of carbon atoms,

Tiap rantai PTFE memiliki atom karbon,

each of which is attached to two fluorines.

yang melekat pada dua flourine.

The fluorine atoms surround the carbon like armor,

Atom fluorine mengelilingi karbon bak perisai,

spiraling around the chain,

menyulur di sekeliling rantai,

and the bond between carbon and fluorine is incredibly tight.

dan ikatan antara karbon dan fluorine sangatlah erat.

Like a couple that ignores everyone except each other,

Bak sepasang insan yang mengabaikan semua kecuali pasangannya,

carbon and fluorine interact so strongly

karbon dan fluorine berinteraksi kuat,

that the normal, intermolecular forces that help substances stick to each other

sehingga gaya antar-molekul yang biasa membuat zat saling melekat

don't stand a chance.

tidak dapat mempengaruhi mereka.

Even the famously adhesive feet of geckos usually can't get a grip.

Bahkan kaki tokek yang terkenal adesif tak bisa menempel.

But wait!

Tapi tunggu!

If PTFE doesn't stick to anything,

Jika PTFE anti lekat,

how can it be so firmly attached to something like a pan?

bagaimana menempelkannya ke wajan?

One method involves sandblasting the pan

Satu teknik ialah dengan semburan pasir

or etching it with chemicals to make it rough.

atau menggores wajan dengan bahan kimiawi yang membuatnya kasar.

Then, a special primer is applied, which acts like glue.

Lalu, gunakan primer khusus, yang bertindak seperti lem.

Its exact composition is a trade secret guarded by each manufacturer.

Komposisi eksaknya rahasia dagang yang dilindungi tiap produsen.

The pan is sprayed with liquid PTFE

Wajan disemprot dengan cairan PTFE

and heated to around 800 degrees Fahrenheit.

lalu dipanaskan pada suhu sekitar 427 derajat Celsius.

The layers then solidify into a smooth, slick coating.

Setelah mengeras, terbentuklah lapisan halus dan licin.

When you later cook eggs in this PTFE-coated pan,

Saat Anda menggoreng telur dengan panci anti-lengket ini,

the extra tight carbon-fluorine bonds

ikatan karbon-fluorine yang sangat erat

just ignore the water and fat and protein molecules in the eggs.

mengabaikan molekul air, lemak, dan protein pada telur.

Without those interactions,

Tanpa interaksi tersebut,

the food just slides around without sticking.

telur hanya menggelincir tanpa menempel.

You might wonder if it's safe to cook in a PTFE-coated pan.

Anda mungkin ragu jika wajan anti-lengket itu aman.

The answer is yes, if you're careful.

Jawabannya, aman, jika Anda berhati-hati.

PTFE is stable at moderate temperatures, like you'd use to cook eggs or fish,

PTFE stabil pada suhu sedang, misal saat Anda masak telur atau ikan.

but above 500 degrees Fahrenheit, it starts to degrade,

Tapi, di atas suhu 260 derajat Celsius, PTFE bisa rusak.

and heating it further releases fumes that can make you feel sick.

Jika terus dipanaskan, akan mengeluarkan asap yang berbahaya bagi kesehatan.

An empty pan can reach 500 degrees fast over high heat,

Pada suhu tinggi, wajan kosong bisa mencapai 260 derajat dengan cepat,

but most kitchens are ventilated well enough to dissipate the fumes.

tapi mayoritas dapur berventilasi baik sehingga asap bisa keluar.

People used to also think that accidentally consuming PTFE

Kita sering berpikir bahwa mengonsumsi makanan mengandung PTFE

that flaked off a scratched pan was bad for you,

yang berasal dari serpihan lapisan panci tak baik bagi kesehatan,

but the current consensus is that it's harmless.

tapi konsesus terkini menyebutkan ini tak berbahaya.

Because PTFE doesn't interact with other chemicals very well,

PTFE tidak berinteraksi dengan bahan kimia lainnya,

it isn't thought to break down inside your body.

maka zat ini dianggap tidak terurai di dalam tubuh Anda.

Whether it's safe to manufacture Teflon is another story.

Soal apakah aman memproduksi Teflon itu lain cerita.

DuPont and its spin-off company Chemours

DuPont dan perusahaan sampingannya, Chemours,

now face lawsuits worth millions of dollars.

tengah menghadapi tuntutan bernilai jutaan dolar.

They've been accused of polluting the environment for decades

Keduanya dituduh mencemari lingkungan selama berabad-abad

and exposing employees and local communities

serta membahayakan kesehatan pegawai dan komunitas lokal

to health risks associated with a toxic chemical called PFOA.

dengan bahan kimia berbahaya yang disebut PFOA.

That chemical was involved in manufacturing Teflon.

Bahan ini disertakan dalam pembuatan Teflon.

As for John Gotti,

Sedangkan John Gotti,

in 1992, the Mob boss was finally convicted of five counts of murder,

tahun 1992, bos mafia ini didakwa melakukan lima pembunuhan,

among other charges.

dan beberapa tuduhan lainnya.

That prompted the head of the FBI office in New York City to announce,

Kejadian ini membuat kepala FBI di New York City mengumumkan,

"The Teflon is gone.

"Si Teflon pergi.

The don is covered in Velcro, and all the charges stuck."

Sekarang si don terbungkus velcro, dan dijerat beragam dakwaan."