• Accepted Paper

Mechanisms of spatiotemporal damage evolution in double polymer networks

M. Le Goff, L. Ortellado, J. Tian, M. Bouzid, J. -L. Barrat, and K. Martens

Phys. Rev. X - Accepted 9 November, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/nck7-lpc7

Abstract

Double polymer networks exhibit a striking enhancement of toughness compared to single networks, yet the microscopic mechanisms governing stress redistribution, damage evolution, and fracture remain incompletely understood. Using large-scale coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations under uniaxial deformation, we resolve bond scission statistics, local stress redistribution following individual bond-breaking events, and the spatiotemporal evolution of damage in singleand double-network architectures. We show that while the early mechanical response is dominated by the pre-stretched sacrificial network, damage evolution in double networks follows a qualitatively distinct pathway. In contrast to single networks, where anisotropic stress redistribution promotes rapid localization and catastrophic fracture, the presence of a soft matrix in double networks induces a screening of stress redistribution generated by sacrificial bond scission. This screening suppresses correlated rupture events and stabilizes multiple damage zones, leading to a strongly delocalized damage landscape over a broad deformation range. At larger strains, when the matrix becomes load-bearing, damage progressively localizes, ultimately triggering fracture. By isolating the dynamics of individual damage zones, we further demonstrate that matrix-mediated stress screening stabilizes defects and delays localization. Together, these results identify stress-screening–induced damage delocalization as a central microscopic mechanism underlying toughness enhancement in multiple-network elastomers.

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