Metallic glasses

Metallic glasses are a new class of materials produced by rapidly quenching the melts at rates often exceeding a million deg/sec. These have been found to display an optimum combination of properties such as high strength, good bend ductility, improved corrosion resistance and excellent soft magnetic properties. Thus, metallic glasses are emerging as economically viable competitors to conventional engineering materials. A clear understanding of the atomic structure of metallic glasses and its change during annealing are of prime importance. Although techniques such as field-ion microscopy (fim) x-ray diffraction and small angle x-ray scattering have been employed for this purpose, high resolution electron microscopic (hrem) investigations conducted during the last few years aided greatly in deriving information on the atomic scale. Availability of high-voltage high-resolution electron microscopes has been mainly responsible for this happy situation. Studies on several metallic glasses have revealed thathrem images contain well-defined pattern of fringes over local regions, even though the diffraction pattern is that of a typical amorphous structure. The details of structure in the early stages of crystallization derived throughhrem, fim and analytical microscopic techniques are presented and discussed.     

Atomic level stresses

The birth and subsequent development of the concept of the atomic level stresses are reviewed, and its future is discussed. Initially it was conceived as a means of describing the local structure in metallic glasses. It gradually became evident that its capacity is beyond the initial expectation. It appears that this concept is a powerful tool in understanding diverse phenomena in strongly disordered systems, such as the atomic dynamics in liquids, glass transition, mechanical failure and structural relaxation. This concept also has a potential to bridge distinct fields of glass research beyond metallic glasses, including colloids, molecular liquids, granular matter and other materials.     

Medium-range order dictates local hardness in bulk metallic glasses

Bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) are materials with outstanding strength and elastic properties that make them tantalizing for engineering applications, yet our poor understanding of how their amorphous atomic arrangements control their broader mechanical properties (hardness, wear, fracture, etc.) impedes our ability to apply materials science principles in their design. In this work, we uncover the hierarchical structure that exists in BMGs across the nano- to microscale by using nanobeam electron diffraction experiments. Our findings reveal that local hardness of microscale domains decreases with increasing size and volume fraction of atomic clusters with higher local medium range order (MRO). Furthermore, we propose a model of ductile phase softening that will enable the future design of BMGs by tuning the MRO size and distribution in the nanostructure.     

Structural relaxation and crystallisation of bulk metallic glasses Zr41Ti14Cu12.5Ni10−xBe22.5Fex (x = 0 or 2) studied by mechanical spectroscopy

The measurements of the internal friction and dynamic shear modulus as well as differential scanning calorimetry have been performed in order to investigate the structural relaxation and crystallization of Zr₄₁Ti₁₄Cu_12.5Ni_10−xBe_22.5Fe_x (x=0 or 2) bulk metallic glasses. It is found that the glass transition is retarded and the thermal stability of supercooled liquid is increased by the Fe addition. The experimental results are well analyzed using a physical model, which can characterize atomic mobility and mechanical response of disordered condensed materials.     

Zr46Cu46Al7Gd1块体非晶合金氧化过程的光学表征

相比于晶态合金,非晶合金表现出显著不同的氧化行为,其氧化过程受无序原子结构和非平衡状态的影响.为揭示非晶合金的早期氧化过程,需要对其氧化行为进行快速表征.本文以Zr₄₆Cu₄₆Al₇Gd₁块体非晶合金为对象,通过测量光学常数的变化对氧化行为进行表征.与X射线衍射、扫描电子显微镜和热重分析测得的结果相比,光学常数不仅可以反映非晶合金发生明显氧化的起始温度,还可以反映难以用传统方法表征的早期氧化过程.本研究结果说明光学常数是反映氧化行为的灵敏参数,将有助于认识非晶合金氧化过程随温度、时间和组分变化的演化过程.     

The potential of Zr-based bulk metallic glasses as biomaterials

Zr-based bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) are a new type of metallic materials with disordered atomic structure that exhibit high strength and high elastic strain, relatively low Young’s modulus, and excellent corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. The combination of these unique properties makes the Zr-based BMGs very promising for biomaterials applications. In this review article, the authors give an overview of the recent progress in the study of biocompatibility of Zr-based BMGs, especially the relevant work that has been done in the metallic glasses group in Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), including the development of Ni-free Zr-based BMGs, the mechanical and wear properties, the bio-corrosion resistance, the in vitro and in vivo biocompatibility and the bioactive surface modification of these newly developed BMGs.     

The potential of Zr-based bulk metallic glasses as biomaterials

Zr-based bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) are a new type of metallic materials with disordered atomic structure that exhibit high strength and high elastic strain, relatively low Young’s modulus, and excellent corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. The combination of these unique properties makes the Zr-based BMGs very promising for biomaterials applications. In this review article, the authors give an overview of the recent progress in the study of biocompatibility of Zr-based BMGs, especially the relevant work that has been done in the metallic glasses group in Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), including the development of Ni-free Zr-based BMGs, the mechanical and wear properties, the bio-corrosion resistance, the in vitro and in vivo biocompatibility and the bioactive surface modification of these newly developed BMGs.     

Total scattering atomic pair distribution function: new methodology for nanostructure determination

The conventional X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods probe for the presence of long-range order towards a solution of the average crystal structure. Experimentally, structural information about long-range, periodic atomic ordering is reflected in the Bragg scattering while local atomic structural deviations from the average structure mainly affect the diffuse scattering intensities. In order to obtain structural information about both average and local atomic structures, a technique that takes in account both Bragg and diffuse scattering needs to be employed, such as the total scattering atomic pair distribution function (PDF) technique. This article introduces a PDF-based methodology that can be applied to extract precise structural information about nanoparticles such as the size of the crystalline core region, the degree of crystallinity, the atomic structure of the core region, local bonding, and the degree of the internal disorder, as a function of the nanoparticle diameter. This article sheds light on a new PDF-based methodology that can yield precise quantitative structural information about small nanocrystals from XRD data, and also describes the essential aspects of this proposed methodology as well as its great potential. This method is generally applicable to the characterisation of the nanoscale solid, many of which may exhibit complex disordered structure.     

Pressure-dependent structures of amorphous red phosphorus and the origin of the first sharp diffraction peaks

Characterizing the nature of medium-range order (MRO) in liquids and disordered solids is important for understanding their structure and transport properties. However, accurately portraying MRO, as manifested by the first sharp diffraction peak (FSDP) in neutron and X-ray scattering measurements, has remained elusive for more than 80 years. Here, using X-ray diffraction of amorphous red phosphorus compressed to 6.30 GPa, supplemented with micro-Raman scattering studies, we build three-dimensional structural models consistent with the diffraction data. We discover that the pressure dependence of the FSDP intensity and line position can be quantitatively accounted for by a characteristic void distribution function, defined in terms of average void size, void spacing and void density. This work provides a template to unambiguously interpret atomic and void-space MRO across a broad range of technologically promising network-forming materials.     

Long-Range Ordered Amorphous Atomic Chains as Building Blocks of a Superconducting Quasi-One-Dimensional Crystal

Crystalline and amorphous structures are two of the most common solid-state phases. Crystals having orientational and periodic translation symmetries are usually both short-range and long-range ordered, while amorphous materials have no long-range order. Short-range ordered but long-range disordered materials are generally categorized into amorphous phases. In contrast to the extensively studied crystalline and amorphous phases, the combination of short-range disordered and long-range ordered structures at the atomic level is extremely rare and so far has only been reported for solvated fullerenes under compression. Here, a report on the creation and investigation of a superconducting quasi-1D material with long-range ordered amorphous building blocks is presented. Using a diamond anvil cell, monocrystalline (TaSe₄)₂I is compressed and a system is created where the TaSe₄ atomic chains are in amorphous state without breaking the orientational and periodic translation symmetries of the chain lattice. Strikingly, along with the amorphization of the atomic chains, the insulating (TaSe₄)₂I becomes a superconductor. The data provide critical insight into a new phase of solid-state materials. The findings demonstrate a first ever case where superconductivity is hosted by a lattice with periodic but amorphous constituent atomic chains.     

Atomistic basis for the plastic yield criterion of metallic glass

Because of their disordered atomic structure, amorphous metals (termed metallic glasses) have fundamentally different deformation mechanisms compared with polycrystalline metals. These different mechanisms give metallic glasses high strength, but the extent to which they affect other macroscopic deformation properties is uncertain. For example, the nature of the plastic-yield criterion is a point of contention, with some studies reporting yield behaviour roughly in line with that of polycrystalline metals, and others indicating strong fundamental differences. In particular, it is unclear whether pressure- or normal stress-dependence needs to be included in the plastic-yield criterion of metallic glasses, and how such a dependence could arise from their disordered structure. In this work we provide an atomic-level explanation for pressure-dependent yield in amorphous metals, based on an elementary unit of deformation. This simple model compares favourably with new atomistic simulations of metallic glasses, as well as existing experimental data.     

Curie temperature enhancement in partially disordered Sr2FeReO6 double perovskites

Two samples of the double perovskite Sr₂FeReO₆ have been synthesized by (1) soft-chemistry procedures and (2) high-pressure methods. The sample prepared by a soft-chemistry technique presents 75% of Fe/Re cationic order whereas the one prepared by the application of high external pressure generates a complete Fe/Re cationic order. Both materials have been characterized by X-ray diffraction, neutron powder diffraction and magnetic measurements. The magnetic properties of both oxides have been compared, observing that the specimen prepared via soft-chemistry procedures presents an enhanced Curie temperature of 445 K, although the sample prepared under high-pressure techniques displays a superior saturation magnetization. This behavior is explained as a consequence of the presence, in the partially disordered sample, of Fe-rich islands containing strong Fe-O-Fe antiferromagnetic couplings, able to nucleate and lock the ferromagnetic interactions of the ordered regions, thus increasing the global Curie temperature of the partially disordered material.     

几种金属间化合物电学性能的研究进展与展望

金属间化合物具有高强轻质及电阻率较高的特点,是一种极具发展前途的功能材料。影响其电学性能的因素有添加元素、合金化元素的原子半径、电子层结构、金属键的数量及晶体结构的无序性。总结了不同类型金属间化合物的电学性能方面的研究成果,同时介绍了其作为超导材料、离子电池的负极材料、电热元件、半导体材料的应用,并展望了以后的研究和发展方向。     

Effect of high pressure torsion on the microstructure evolution of a gamma Ti–45Al–2Nb–2Mn–0.8 vol% TiB2 alloy

The technique of high pressure torsion (HPT) has been widely used to refine the microstructure of many metallic materials, especially pure metals and disordered alloys. Comparatively fewer studies have, however, been carried out in intermetallics. γ-TiAl alloys are envisioned as high potential materials to replace Ni superalloys in some turbine components due to their good performance at high temperatures and light weight. Exploring the potential beneficial effects of severe plastic deformation techniques in these materials is now timely. In this work, a γ-TiAl alloy with a lamellar microstructure has been processed by HPT using pressures ranging from 1 to 6 GPa and 0 to 5 anvil turns at room temperature. Significant refinement of the microstructure via twin formation, bending of the lamella and the accumulation of a high dislocation density upon the application of shear give rise to a drastic hardness increase.     

金属材料表面自身纳米化研究进展

近年来采用表面自身纳米化技术时纯金属、低碳钢及其他合金进行表面改性已得到广泛而深入的研究.相对于其他金属材料的表面改性技术,表面自身纳米化具有特定的技术优势.简要综述了金属材料表面自身纳米化技术的组织结构特征、组织演变机理、力学性能、元素扩散行为、腐蚀性能等.层错能的不同导致了不同表面纳米化形成机制,表面纳米晶的形成能有效改善原子的扩散行为,提高金属的硬度、强度、耐摩擦和疲劳性能.     

The local structure nature for a Ti-based bulk metallic glass

In the present work, the local atomic structures of a Be-containing Ti-based bulk metallic glass (BMG) have been characterized using electron spectrum for chemical analysis and Raman scattering, including directional bonds and medium range order. It might suggest that a coefficient could be extracted from Raman scattering to characterize the glass forming ability (GFA), which could be employed to interpret the enhanced GFA by Be addition of Ti-based BMG. Additionally, compared with the crystallized sample, the glassy sample exhibits larger average bond length and larger content of local bond distortion using Raman scattering.     

Polyamorphism in a metallic glass

A metal, or an alloy, can often exist in more than one crystal structure. The face-centred-cubic and body-centred-cubic forms of iron (or steel) are a familiar example of such polymorphism. When metallic materials are made in the amorphous form, is a parallel 'polyamorphism' possible? So far, polyamorphic phase transitions in the glassy state have been observed only in glasses involving directional and open (such as tetrahedral) coordination environments. Here, we report an in situ X-ray diffraction observation of a pressure-induced transition between two distinct amorphous polymorphs in a Ce(55)Al(45) metallic glass. The large density difference observed between the two polyamorphs is attributed to their different electronic and atomic structures, in particular the bond shortening revealed by ab initio modelling of the effects of f-electron delocalization. This discovery offers a new perspective of the amorphous state of metals, and has implications for understanding the structure, evolution and properties of metallic glasses and related liquids. Our work also opens a new avenue towards technologically useful amorphous alloys that are compositionally identical but with different thermodynamic, functional and rheological properties due to different bonding and structural characteristics.     

采用Al缓冲层在蓝宝石衬底上合成GaN多晶薄膜

采用CVD法以金属镓(Ga)和氨气(NH3)为原料,在镀有Al膜的蓝宝石衬底上成功地制备了GaN多晶薄膜。采用高分辨X射线衍射仪(HRXRD)、场发射电子扫描电镜(FESEM)、原子力显微镜(AFM)和光致发光能谱(PL)对样品进行了成分、形貌、表面粗糙度和发光性能分析。结果表明,制备的GaN薄膜为结晶性较好的六方纤锌矿GaN多晶薄膜,用266nm的激光作为激发光源时,光致发光谱中除出现354nm的近带边发射峰外,同时还观察到中心波长位于530nm附近的黄光发光峰及中心波长位于约637nm的红光发光峰。     

Perspective on Structural Evolution and Relations with Thermophysical Properties of Metallic Liquids

The relationship between the structural evolution and properties of metallic liquids is a long‐standing hot issue in condensed‐matter physics and materials science. Here, recent progress is reviewed in several fundamental aspects of metallic liquids, including the methods to study their atomic structures, liquid–liquid transition, physical properties, fragility, and their correlations with local structures, together with potential applications of liquid metals at room temperature. Involved with more experimentally and theoretically advanced techniques, these studies provide more in‐depth understanding of the structure–property relationship of metallic liquids and promote the design of new metallic materials with superior properties.