How polymers lose memory with age

Uniquely in the world of materials, polymers deformed at high temperature and subsequently quenched at low temperature, memorize the temperature at which they have been processed. Polymers can even memorize multiple temperatures. This temperature memory is reflected by a maximum of residual stress restored at the temperature of initial processing. It has been speculated that this capability could arise from the presence of dynamical heterogeneities in glassy domains of polymers. Processing the material at a given temperature would result in the selection of certain heterogeneities that participate in the storage of mechanical stress. Because dynamical heterogeneities are associated with particular relaxation times, the temperature memory of polymers should depend on the time, for example, the glass transition temperature depends on the frequency. The first experimental study of temporal effects on the temperature memory of polymers is presently reported. It is found that aging at high temperature shifts the maximum of residual stress towards greater temperatures. The corresponding loss of memory is explained by the relaxation of dynamical heterogeneities with short characteristic times. The present results clarify the origin of the temperature memory and provide insights into their efficient exploitation in applications.