Physical aging and deformation kinetics of polycarbonate

Considering the current view that physical aging of glasses results in an increase of activation barriers to plastic deformation, it is surprising that, until now, no influence of physical aging was observed experimentally on the temperature dependence of plastic deformation in polymeric glasses. This study evaluates why such an influence has not been found, and it is shown that detailed analysis of a set of uniaxial compression data on polycarbonate (PC) at different strain rates and temperatures leads to the conclusion that a significant influence indeed exists. As a consequence, the Eyring activation energy depends on the aging history of the material. These experimental observations are rationalized in terms of a simple physical interpretation of the aging phenomenon. The article also contains a discussion of the apparent deaging of amorphous polymers induced by large-strain plastic deformation. This discussion is of key importance here, because this study compares yield stresses of aged PC with those of mechanically deaged, or rejuvenated.