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Jumpwise deformation of polymethyl methacrylate in the microplasticity region
Summary
This physics paper studied how a transparent plastic material deforms in tiny incremental jumps at the microscale under compression, finding that low doses of gamma radiation and magnetic fields cause slight hardening. This is a materials physics study on polymer mechanics with no direct relevance to environmental microplastics.
The deformation rate with a step of 325 nm has been measured under uniaxial compression at the initial stage of creep and shape recovery of a polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) sample after unloading. The effect of low γ-ray doses and magnetic fields on the deformation has been studied. It has been shown that a weak pre-exposure of the PMMA sample structure to radiation and magnetic fields can cause a slight hardening in the microplasticity region. The deformation jump sizes have been determined on micro- and nanoscales. The effect of irradiation and magnetic fields manifests itself as redistributed contributions of various jumps to the deformation.