Nonlocal properties of inhomogeneous structures by linking approach of generalized continuum to atomistic model (Q1384350)

The paper essentially deals with the identification of additional material coefficients present in the elastic energy expansion when second gradients of the displacement (so-called weak nonlocality) are taken into account. This should give an idea of the involved characteristic length. The identification is made by comparison with the lattice-dynamics equations of motion, a not very original procedure used before by many authors including this reviewer and co-workers. Applications to the imaging of relaxed grain boundaries are the most original contributions here. The paper not only does ignore relevant contributions to the field, but it entertains several misunderstandings, the worst among these being the identification of Cosserat continua (continua with an additional internal degree of rotation) and the second-gradient elasticity (where only the classical elastic displacement is involved, but with gradients of order higher than usual). For instance, the flimsiness with which the authors state equation (9) is stupendous. The paper should not have been accepted for publication in its present form.