Atomistic framework for glassy polymer viscoelasticity across twenty frequency decades

Glassy polymers are central to engineering applications, yet their viscoelastic response over broad frequency and temperature ranges remains difficult to characterize. We extend non-affine deformation theory by incorporating a time-dependent memory kernel within the generalized Langevin equation for atomistic non-affine motions, yielding frequency-dependent mechanical response. Applied to poly(methyl methacrylate), the method captures the shear modulus and relaxation spectrum over more than twenty decades of frequency, from hundreds of terahertz to the millihertz regime, thus bridging polymer mechanics from ordinary to extreme scales. Our predictions show quantitative consistency with independent estimates from oscillatory-shear molecular dynamics, Brillouin scattering, ultrasonic spectroscopy, split-Hopkinson testing, and dynamic mechanical analysis, thereby demonstrating a unified theoretical-computational route for multiscale characterization of polymer glasses.

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Publication Details

Journal
The Journal of Chemical Physics
Published
2026-09-10
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0332872
Primary Topic
Material Dynamics and Properties
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Atomistic framework for glassy polymer viscoelasticity across twenty frequency decades

The Journal of Chemical Physics
Material Dynamics and Properties
article

Atomistic framework for glassy polymer viscoelasticity across twenty frequency decades

article en

Abstract

Glassy polymers are central to engineering applications, yet their viscoelastic response over broad frequency and temperature ranges remains difficult to characterize. We extend non-affine deformation theory by incorporating a time-dependent memory kernel within the generalized Langevin equation for atomistic non-affine motions, yielding frequency-dependent mechanical response. Applied to poly(methyl methacrylate), the method captures the shear modulus and relaxation spectrum over more than twenty decades of frequency, from hundreds of terahertz to the millihertz regime, thus bridging polymer mechanics from ordinary to extreme scales. Our predictions show quantitative consistency with independent estimates from oscillatory-shear molecular dynamics, Brillouin scattering, ultrasonic spectroscopy, split-Hopkinson testing, and dynamic mechanical analysis, thereby demonstrating a unified theoretical-computational route for multiscale characterization of polymer glasses.

The Journal of Chemical PhysicsVol. 165(10)
DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory (US), University of Milan (IT), Graz University of Technology (AT), Polymer Competence Center Leoben (Austria) (AT), University of Göttingen (DE)
Università degli Studi di Milano, European Commission, Austrian Science Fund, HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme, U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, Army Research Office
Openalex Percentile: Top 99%
Material Dynamics and Properties
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Atomistic framework for glassy polymer viscoelasticity across twenty frequency decades · The Journal of Chemical Physics (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS