ABSTRACT

The properties of thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) are influenced by an appropri­ ate phase structure and its thermal reproducibility in the heating-cooling cycle, processing properties (the possibility of multiple melting and solidification), and functional qualities (large, reversible deformations). From the point of view of physical constitution, thermoplastic elastomers are customarily considered poly­ meric materials, in which, as a result of the phase separation, at least two phases are distinguished soft (flexible) and hard. Hence, these are plastics possessing at least the two values of the physical transition temperatures, e.g., Tg] and Tg2 or Tg and Tm. These temperatures determine a wide “plateau” of a small modulus of elasticity (likewise in rubber). Additionally, TPEs can be processed by methods analogous to those used for typical thermoplastics (1-3).