A bond or connection that holds two separate chains or structures together, common in chemistry and materials science.
From 'cross' + 'link' (Middle English 'linke', from Old Norse 'hlenkr'). The term emerged in chemistry in the 20th century to describe molecular bonds between polymer chains.
Crosslinks are why rubber is bouncy and plastic bags don't fall apart—they're molecular bridges that hold chains together, and without them, many modern materials simply wouldn't exist!
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