熱塑性彈性體,簡稱TPE或TPR,是Thermoplastic rubber的縮寫。是常溫下具有橡膠的彈性,高溫下具有可塑化成型的一類彈性體。熱塑性彈性體的結(jié)構(gòu)特點是由化學(xué)鍵組成不同的樹脂段和橡膠段,樹脂段憑借鏈間作用力形成物理交聯(lián)點,橡膠段是高彈性鏈段,貢獻彈性。塑料段的物理交聯(lián)隨溫度的變化而呈可逆變化,顯示了熱塑性彈性體的塑料加工特性。因此,熱塑性彈性體具有硫化橡膠的物理機械性能和熱塑性塑料的工藝加工性能,是介于橡膠與樹脂之間的一種新型高分子材料,常被人們稱為第三代橡膠。
Thermoplastic elastomer, or TPE or TPR, is short for Thermoplastic rubber. It is a kind of elastomer which has the elasticity of rubber at room temperature and can be plasticized at high temperature. The structure of thermoplastic elastomer is characterized by different resin segment and rubber segment composed of chemical bonds. The resin segment forms physical crosslinking points by means of inter-chain forces. The rubber segment is a highly elastic chain segment and contributes elasticity. The physical crosslinking of plastic segment changes reversibly with the change of temperature, which shows the plastic processing characteristics of thermoplastic elastomer. Therefore, thermoplastic elastomer has the physical and mechanical properties of vulcanized rubber and the processing performance of thermoplastic plastics. It is a new kind of polymer material between rubber and resin, and is often called the third generation rubber.