Porcelain Enamel Porcelain enamel is a form of glass bonded to metal at high temperature. Porcelain enamel is quite simply the highest quality, most durable and sanitary finish available for metallic surfaces. Porcelain enamel is an ancient art which has survived and been transformed in modern times into a unique protective and decorative coating for metals. Porcelain enamel begins as a blend of raw materials smelted in much the same way as common glass. During this process (known as "fritting"), the hot, molten mixture is poured from a smelter and water-quenched and then dried. Frit is applied to metal either a wet or dry method and fired at very high temperatures - generally ranging from 760 to 880 degrees Centigrade. While in the furnace, the frits melting bond with the metal to create more than a coating.
Polyethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate, also named poly(ethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate), polyethylene furanoate and poly(ethylene furanoate) and generally abbreviated as PEF, is a polymer that can be produced by polycondensation of 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) and ethylene glycol. As an aromatic polyester from ethylene glycol it is a chemical analogue of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyethylene naphthalate (PEN). PEF has been described in (patent) literature since 1951,[2] but has gained renewed attention since the US department of energy proclaimed its building block, FDCA, as a potential bio-based replacement for purified terephthalic acid (PTA) in 2004. One life-cycle assessment showed that replacing PTA in the production of PET by bio-based FDCA for the production of PEF has a potential for significant reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and non-renewable energy use (NREU).[4] Furthermore, PEF exhibits an intrinsically higher gas barrier for oxygen,[5] carbon dioxide[6] and water vapor[7] than PET and can therefore be considered an interesting alternative for packaging applications such as bottles, films and food trays.
