5 Carbon Tetrafluoride Uses: Facts You Should Know!

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CF4 carbon tetrafluoride or tetrafluoromethane classified as haloalkane or halomethane. CF4 is a colorless, odorless gas of molar mass 88.043 g/mol. Let us study the uses of CF4.

CF4 is mostly present in the air. CF4 has tetrahedral geometry and there is 109°28’ bond angle present in F-C-F bonds. The major use of carbon tetrafluoride is in refrigerators as refrigerants and is a major greenhouse gas too.

Here we will study the uses and applications of Carbon tetrafluoride in various areas and industries. This article will unfold its utility.

  • Refrigerant.
  • Semiconductor.
  • NDIR Sensors.
  • Propellants.
  • Neutron detectors.

Refrigerant

  • Carbon tetrafluoride CF4 is mainly used as a low temperature refrigerant and gas insulator.
  • CF4 is preferred more due to its inert and non-flammable characteristics.

Semiconductors

  • CF4 is used in semiconductor as silicon wafers in plasma etching.
  • CF4 is used as photovoltaic agent.
  • Carbon Tetrafluoride (CF4) has its application as semiconductor chamber cleaning, etching applications, and in Flat Panel Display etching.
cf4 1
Fig: Structure of CF4

Propellants

  • CF4 is used to manufacture propellants and other industrial chemicals.
  • CF4 is used in aerosol spray cans as a propellant, as it can be easily compressed into a liquid.

NDIR sensors

  • CF4 being a fluorinated Hydrocarbon gets stronger absorbed in infrared and gets detected by NDIR sensors.
  • NDIR sensors are used for measuring greenhouse gas concentrations .CF4 being a potent source gets easily detected and used widely.

Neutron detectors

  • CF4 plays a key role in neutron detectors.
  • CF4 combined with helium-3 gas has its use in neutron detectors which work by effectively stopping proton and tritium.
  • Like most hydrofluorocarbons , CF4 contribute to greenhouse gas.
  • CF4 does has major contributions in global warming and effect on ozone layer.

Conclusion

Carbon tetrafluoride is an important industrial chemical. It can also be used such as refrigerant liquid, as dielectric material and as propellant in aerosols, but it is also the starting material in the synthesis of the highly valuable tetraflu-oroethylene by the process described in U.