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The amorphous nature of metallic glasses and their mechanical properties make them interesting for structural applications. However, the interplay between the nature of atomic structures in metallic glasses and mechanical properties remains poorly understood. In this study, high-frequency dynamic micropillar tests have been used to probe both atomic clusters and flow defects in metallic glasses. We show that loosely bonded atomistic free-volume zones that are enveloped elastically by tightly bonded atomic clusters show a deformation character similar to supercooled liquids. At room temperature, the effective viscosity of these free-volume zones is of the order of 1 x 10(8) Pa s before the occurrence of shear banding. The confined liquid-like deformation of free-volume zones leads to significant mechanical hysteresis in micropillars under dynamic loading, providing important insight into how atomistic structural features affect the deformation behaviours in metallic glasses in the apparent elastic regime. The inelastic behaviour also serves as the basis for the superior damping resistance of metallic glasses.

Matrix-assisted catalytic printing (MACP) is developed as a low-cost and versatile printing method for the fabrication of multiscale metal conductors on a wide variety of plastic, elastomeric, and textile substrates. Highly conductive Cu interconnects (2.0 × 10⁸ S/m) fabricated by MACP at room temperature display excellent flexibility, foldability, and stretchability.

Three-dimensional (3D) conductive composites with remarkable flexibility, compressibility, and stretchability are fabricated by solution deposition of thin metal coatings on chemically modified, macroscopically continuous, 3D polyurethane sponges, followed by infiltration of the metallic sponges with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). These low-cost conductive composites are used as high-performance interconnects for flexible and stretchable light-emitting diode (LED) arrays, even with severe surface abrasion or cutting.

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