Generating Ultrastable Glasses by Homogenizing the Local Virial Stress

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Condensed Matter Physics
• Statistical Mechanics

Background:

• Algorithmic preparation of ultrastable glasses (UG) has advanced the understanding of the glassy state.
• Previous methods for UG preparation have limitations in achieving optimal stability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel protocol for preparing UG in a model colloidal glass.
• To investigate the impact of microscopic mechanical homogeneity on glass properties.

Main Methods:

• Iterative modification of particle diameters to reduce local virial stress fluctuations.
• Application of the algorithm to an additive Lennard-Jones mixture.
• Comparison of virial homogenized glasses with states obtained via thermal annealing.

Main Results:

• Virial homogenized glasses exhibit significantly increased kinetic stability compared to thermally annealed states.
• An increase in the number of locally favored structures was observed in virial homogenized glasses.
• Melting in these glasses occurs through the accumulation of localized events during heating ramps.

Conclusions:

• Microscopic mechanical homogeneity is a key factor in achieving ultrastability in glasses.
• The developed protocol offers a new pathway for creating highly stable glassy materials.
• This approach provides a widely applicable concept for understanding and engineering glassy systems.