# Controlling Elastoplastic Deformation in Amorphous Solids: Leveraging Many-Body Particle Interactions for Energy Landscape and Dissipation Modulation

> **NSF 01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT** · Regents of the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor (MI) · $783,729

## Abstract

This research project aims to advance fundamental understanding of the deformation behavior of amorphous solids with many-body interactions among constituent particles. Unlike crystalline materials, amorphous solids such as metallic glasses and granular systems exhibit complex, non-crystalline structures and deformation mechanisms that are not captured by conventional models based on binary interactions. In many-body systems, the interaction between two particles can be influenced by the presence of a third — a phenomenon common in biological tissues and social networks but not yet well understood in the context of amorphous solids. This project seeks to extract governing physics from simulations and experiments of amorphous systems with many-body interactions and develop new solid mechanics models to predict their behavior. The outcomes seek to to impact a wide range of applications, including adaptive metamaterials, two-dimensional materials, and damage-tolerant structural materials. Educational activities include hands-on demonstrations, curriculum integration, and public outreach aimed at fostering future scientists and engineers.

The technical objective is to quantify how many-body interactions influence deformation through the lens of energy landscape complexity. Atomistic simulations and machine learning–assisted analyses will be used to study emergent features in the energy landscape while systematically tuning many-body interactions. These findings look to be vali

## Key facts

- **NSF award ID:** 2519512
- **Awardee organization:** Regents of the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor (MI)
- **SAM.gov UEI:** GNJ7BBP73WE9
- **PI:** Hongyi Xiao
- **Primary program:** 01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
- **All programs:** SOLID MECHANICS, MATERIALS DESIGN
- **Estimated total:** $783,729
- **Funds obligated:** $783,729
- **Transaction type:** Standard Grant
- **Period:** 09/01/2025 → 08/31/2028

## Primary source

NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2519512

## Citation

> US National Science Foundation, Award 2519512, Controlling Elastoplastic Deformation in Amorphous Solids: Leveraging Many-Body Particle Interactions for Energy Landscape and Dissipation Modulation. Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-08 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nsf/2519512. Licensed CC0.

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