Thermoplastic Vs Thermoset Polymers
Polymerization is a process in which thousands of smaller molecules called "monomers" join together to form larger molecules called "macromolecules/polymers". Polymers have higher molecular weight than monomers as they are formed by joining these monomer molecules. Several different categories of polymerization reactions exist, but the most notable of which are: step-growth polymerization and chain growth polymerization. In this post, we will learn about two types of polymers which are classified on the basis of thermal properties and molecular forces present between them. These two types of polymers are Thermoplastic and Thermosetting polymers. Thermoplastic polymers – Thermoplastic polymers or Thermo-softening plastics polymers are long chain polymers in which the polymeric chains are held together by the weak intermolecular forces (or Van-der waals forces). These types of polymers are formed by the addition polymerization or chain-growth polymerization reactio...