  Bonding between polymeric interfaces is encountered widely in several
industrial applications. Many of these bonding processes rely on time-consuming
and temperature-dependent classical mechanism of polymer interdiffusion via
reptation in a melt state. Here, for the first time, we report a new
mechanistic pathway for achieving solid-state polymer bonding by triggering
rapid macromolecular acceleration through mechanical deformation. Large-scale
molecular simulations reveal that active plastic deformation in glassy
polymers, at temperatures well-below the bulk (and surface) glass transition
temperatures, is sufficient to cause segmental translations of the polymer
chains that lead to interfacial interpenetrations, and formation of new
entanglements. The underlying mechanistic basis for this new type of bonding is
identified as enhanced molecular-scale dilatations (or densifications) in
conjunction with accelerated molecular mobility during plastic deformation. The
reported mechanistic insights open promising avenues for designing new bonding
technologies or material systems, and transformation of the existing ones to
achieve quick and energetically less intensive bonding.
