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Thermoplastic, also known as a thermosoftening plastic,[1][2] is a polymer that turns to a liquid when heated and freezes to a rigid state when cooled sufficiently. Most thermoplastics are high-molecular-weight polymers whose chains associate through weak Van der Waals forces (polyethylene); stronger dipole-dipole interactions and hydrogen bonding (nylon);[3] or even stacking of aromatic rings (polystyrene). Thermoplastic polymers differ from thermosetting polymers (e.g. phenolics, epoxies) in that they can be remelted and remoulded. Many thermoplastic materials are addition polymers; e.g., vinyl chain-growth polymers such as polyethylene and polypropylene; others are productions of condensation or other forms of polyaddition polymerisation, such as the polyamides or polyester.

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13y ago

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