The compressive-deformation behavior of the Zr 50.7 Cu 28 Ni 9 Al 12.3 bulk metallic glass (BMG) was investigated over a wide strain-rate range at room temperature. The yield strength of the BMG studied is independent of the strain rates applied upon quasi-static loading; however, it decreases remarkably upon dynamic loading. Serrated flows and shear bands appear at low quasi-static strain rates; nevertheless, they vanish as the strain rate increases to 1.0 9 10 À1 s À1 . Cracks appearing on the side surface of the fractured sample after dynamic compression yield a strain-accommodation deformation mechanism upon dynamic loading. Scanning electron microscopy observations reveal that molten liquids increase on the fractured surfaces with increasing strain rate, indicating that adiabatic heating in the shear bands is enhanced as the strain rate increases.

Lead-free composite thin films composed of Li 0.06 K 0.47 Na 0.47 NbO 3 and CoFe 2 O 4 were prepared using a one-step chemical method. By analysis using X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetry (TG), and differential scanning calorimetry, it was found that the Li 0.06 K 0.47 Na 0.47 NbO 3 and CoFe 2 O 4 phases were crystallized at different stages of the thermal treatment, which resulted in the formation of a composite structure. The phase segregation was confirmed by observations on scanning electron microscopy and magnetic force microscopy. By electrical and magnetic measurements it was found that the composite showed a coupled magnetoelectric behavior at room temperature with a magnetoelectric coefficient of $185 mV/cm Á Oe.