Partitioning of tetrafluoroethylene gas into admicelles of sodium perfluoroheptanoate on alumina was measured in a high-pressure reactor. Polymerization of tetrafluoroethylene within the adsorbed surfactant bilayer took place after thermal initiation with the formation of fluorocarbon thin films on aluminum oxide powder. In the formation of poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE), the effects of surfactant concentration and of initiator concentration were studied. Modified powder was characterized by a number of techniques including Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, wavelength-dispersive spectroscopy (WDS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and wettability testing. Measurements of friction coefficients and contact angles verified that a thin poly(tetrafluoroethylene) film was formed on alumina plates using the same procedure.