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In materials science, a thermosetting polymer, often called a thermoset, is a
In materials science, a thermosetting polymer, often called a thermoset, is a polymer
A polymer (; Greek '' poly-'', "many" + ''-mer'', "part")
is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic a ...
that is obtained by irreversibly hardening (" curing") a soft solid or viscous liquid prepolymer
In polymer chemistry, the term prepolymer or pre-polymer, refers to a monomer or system of monomers that have been reacted to an intermediate-molecular mass state. This material is capable of further polymerization by reactive groups to a fully c ...
(resin
In polymer chemistry and materials science, resin is a solid or highly viscous substance of plant or synthetic origin that is typically convertible into polymers. Resins are usually mixtures of organic compounds. This article focuses on n ...
). Curing is induced by heat or suitable radiation and may be promoted by high pressure, or mixing with a catalyst
Catalysis () is the process of increasing the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed in the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recyc ...
. Heat is not necessarily applied externally, but is often generated by the reaction of the resin with a curing agent (''catalyst'', ''hardener
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