Polyethylene belongs to the thermoplastics, i.e. to the plastics that superficially fuse (plasticise) when heated and solidify when cooled.

Structure of polyethylene

Polyethylene (PE) consists of long chains (macromolecules) whose basic components (monomers) contain ethylene, which is extracted of mineral oil or natural gas.

These chains are produced by so-called polymerisation (reaction process in which molecules give up their double bond and form a string).