Polymer materials face increasing demands for durability and sustainability. But predicting how they age – physically and chemically – remains a complex challenge. PEARL delivers new modelling tool that give industry deeper insight into degradation processes in glassy polymers. The project supports better lifetime predictions and smarter design choices for sectors where reliability matters.
What PEARL aims to achieve
PEARL provides a fundamental understanding of how amorphous polymers change under long-term exposure to mechanical stress, UV radiation and oxidising agents. The project focuses on:
• Capturing both physical ageing and chemical degradation mechanisms
• Understanding how deformation influences the diffusion of small molecules such as oxygen and hydrogen
• Generating data for use in predictive ageing and transport models
Simulating multi-ageing at the molecular scale
To mirror the complexity of real-life degradation, PEARL combines atomistic and coarse-grained molecular simulations. This hybrid approach reproduces the structural and dynamic changes in polymers as they physically and chemically age, offering unprecedented insight into the mechanisms of these processes and their effect on the mechanical performance of the materials.
Supporting more robust, efficient design
Industries such as packaging, mobility and infrastructure need materials that perform reliably under stress and under exposure to UV light and oxidating agents over time. By clarifying how ageing alters polymer behaviour, PEARL helps reduce the reliance on conservative overdesign, extend product lifetimes, and select materials with greater confidence.
DPI’s enabling role
PEARL is part of DPI’s Enabling Tools & Technologies programme. It supports the broader DPI community with advanced modelling tools that connect molecular-level science to industrial practice. The project aligns with DPI’s mission to accelerate polymer innovation through shared knowledge and collaborative research.
Boost your R&D
By joining the DPI community, you gain access to world-leading polymer research and you help shape it. Curious how this project fits your innovation roadmap? Let’s talk.
Claude Bostoen
Business development and programme manager
Questions or ideas?
Fill in the form and our programme manager will get back to you shortly.