What type of plastic consists of reversible chemical bonds that allow remolding upon heating?

Thermoplastics are a type of plastic that consist of polymer chains with reversible chemical bonds. This characteristic allows thermoplastics to be remolded and reshaped upon heating. When a thermoplastic is heated, it softens and can be formed into different shapes; as it cools, it hardens again. This process can be repeated multiple times without significantly changing the material's properties, making thermoplastics highly versatile and commonly used in a variety of applications, from packaging to automotive components.

In contrast, thermosetting plastics, upon curing after being heated, form irreversible bonds that cannot be remelted; thus they retain their shape and cannot be reshaped once set. Composites are materials made from two or more constituent materials with different physical or chemical properties, and they do not specifically describe the heating and reshaping properties associated with thermoplastics. Elastomers are also a category of polymer-based materials, but they are primarily characterized by their elastic properties and flexibility rather than reversible behaviors when heated.