Atomistic simulation of aging and rejuvenation in glasses
Slow structural relaxation ("aging") observed in many atomic, molecular, and polymeric glasses substantially alters their stress-strain relations and can produce a distinctive yield point. Using Monte Carlo simulation for a binary Lennard-Jones mixture, we have observed these phenomena and their cooling-rate dependences for the first time in an atomistic model system. We also observe that aging effects can be reversed by plastic deformation ("rejuvenation"), whereby the system is expelled from the vicinity of deep minima in its potential energy surface.
Utz
M
Department of Chemical Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA.
Debenedetti
PG
Stillinger
FH