热塑性弹性体，简称TPE或TPR，是Thermoplastic rubber的缩写。是常温下具有橡胶的弹性，高温下具有可塑化成型的一类弹性体。热塑性弹性体的结构特点是由化学键组成不同的树脂段和橡胶段，树脂段凭借链间作用力形成物理交联点，橡胶段是高弹性链段，贡献弹性。塑料段的物理交联随温度的变化而呈可逆变化，显示了热塑性弹性体的塑料加工特性。因此，热塑性弹性体具有硫化橡胶的物理机械性能和热塑性塑料的工艺加工性能，是介于橡胶与树脂之间的一种新型高分子材料，常被人们称为第三代橡胶。

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.