THERMOPLASTIC

Thermoplastic

A thermoplastic, or thermosoftening plastic, is a polymer that becomes pliable or moldable above a specific temperature, and returns to a solid state upon cooling. Most thermoplastics have a high molecular weight. The polymer chains associate through intermolecular forces, which permits thermoplastics to be remolded because the intermolecular interactions increase upon cooling and restore the bulk properties. In this way, thermoplastics differ from thermosetting polymers, which form irreversible chemical bonds during the curing process. Thermosets often do not melt, but break down and do not reform upon cooling.

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thermoplastic

Noun

  1. A plastic with this property.

Adjective

  1. softening when heated and hardening when cooled


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: thermoplastic
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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