Ask a Teacher

Search



What is thermoplastic?
A Thermoplastic, also known as a thermo softening plastic, is a polymer that becomes pliable or mold able above a specific temperature, and returns to a solid state upon cooling. Most thermoplastics have a high molecular weight, whose chains associate through intermolecular forces; this property allows thermoplastics to be remolded because the intermolecular interactions spontaneously reform upon cooling. In this way, thermoplastics differ from thermosetting polymers, which form irreversible chemical bonds during the curing process; thermoset bonds break down upon melting and do not reform upon cooling.


comments powered by Disqus