Multiscale structures and phase transitions in metallic glasses: A scattering perspective

Abstract

Amorphous materials are ubiquitous and widely used in human society, yet their structures are far from being fully understood. Metallic glasses, a new class of amorphous materials, have attracted a great deal of interests due to their exceptional properties. In recent years, our understanding of metallic glasses increases dramatically, thanks to the development of advanced instrumentation, such as in situ x-ray and neutron scattering. In this article, we provide a brief review of recent progress in study of the structure of metallic glasses. In particular, we will emphasize, from the scattering perspective, the multiscale structures of metallic glasses, i.e., short-to-medium range atomic packing, and phase transitions in the supercooled liquid region, e.g., crystallization and liquid-to-liquid phase transition. We will also discuss, based on the understanding of their structures and phase stability, the mechanical and magnetic properties of metallic glasses.

Dilatancy signatures of amorphous plasticity probed by X-ray synchrotron radiation

“…Therefore, a direct nano-scale structural probe into amorphous deformation is necessary. Synchrotron radiation small angle Xray scattering (SAXS) provides such a possibility [33][34][35][36], by measuring the fluctuation of local electronic density to reflect nano-scale packing heterogeneity. Recently, Sun et al [37] performed an in situ SAXS during uniaxial tension of a Vitreloy 1 amorphous alloy, and detected nano-scale scatterers with a complex spatial distribution.…”