Expert: Mrs. Shead replied 11 years ago. Because Teflon surface has very weak vdW forces because the fluorine atoms bonded to the carbon chain have very tightly bound electrons. This means they are very hard to polarize, or form the dipoles needed for vdW forces (Van der Waals). That’s why teflon is so slippery and chemically unreactive. Basically Teflon has such a low surface energy even van der Waals forces don't work on it Ask Your Own Pet Question