Microscopic Theory of Coupled Slow Activated Dynamics in Glass-Forming Binary Mixtures

The Elastically Collective Nonlinear Langevin Equation theory for one-component viscous liquids and suspensions is generalized to treat coupled slow activated relaxation and diffusion in glass-forming binary sphere mixtures of any composition, size ratio, and interparticle interactions. A trajectory-level dynamical coupling parameter concept is introduced to construct two coupled dynamic free energy functions for the smaller penetrant and larger matrix particle. A two-step dynamical picture is proposed where the first-step process involves matrix-facilitated penetrant hopping quantified in a self-consistent manner based on a temporal coincidence condition. After penetrants dynamically equilibrate, the effectively one-component matrix particle dynamics is controlled by a new dynamic free energy (second-step process). Depending on the time scales associated with the first- and second-step processes, as well as the extent of matrix-correlated facilitation, distinct physical scenarios are predicted. The theory is implemented for purely hard-core interactions, and addresses the glass transition based on variable kinetic criteria, penetrant-matrix coupled activated relaxation, self-diffusion of both species, dynamic fragility, and shear elasticity. Testable predictions are made. Motivated by the analytic ultralocal limit idea derived for pure hard sphere fluids, we identify structure-thermodynamics-dynamics relationships. As a case study for molecule-polymer thermal mixtures, the chemically matched fully miscible polystyrene-toluene system is quantitatively studied based on a predictive mapping scheme. The resulting no-adjustable-parameter results for toluene diffusivity and the mixture glass transition temperature are in good agreement with experiment. The theory provides a foundation to treat diverse dynamical problems in glass-forming mixtures, including suspensions of colloids and nanoparticles, polymer-molecule liquids, and polymer nanocomposites.