Polymers

What are thermosoftening and thermosetting polymers?

Thermosoftening polymers are polymers that can be re-shaped into a new shape once they are heated up. Polyethylene is an example of a thermosoftening polymer. 

Thermosetting polymer, often called a thermoset, is a polymer that is obtained by irreversibly hardening ("curing") a soft solid or viscous liquid prepolymer (resin). Curing is induced by heat or suitable radiation and may be promoted by high pressure, or mixing with a catalyst. Heat is not necessarily applied externally, but is often generated by the reaction of the resin with a curing agent (catalyst, hardener). Curing results in chemical reactions that create extensive cross-linking between polymer chains to produce a covalently bonded three dimensional network structure.