TY - JOUR

T1 - Unusual hardness and string-like structures relaxation of metallic glass investigated by in-situ synchrotron radiation

AU - Zhang, Ni Zhen

AU - Spieckermann, Florian

AU - Yuan, Xu Dong

AU - Şopu, Daniel

AU - Jin, Xin

AU - Sun, Kang

AU - Mendez, Alba

AU - Yu, Peng

AU - Wang, Gang

AU - Eckert, Jürgen

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024 Elsevier B.V.

PY - 2024/12/25

Y1 - 2024/12/25

N2 - Cryogenic thermal cycling (CTC) is a feasible method for improving the mechanical properties in plenty of applications on a variety of metallic materials. In this work, the CTC technique was used to tune the hardness and potential energy of metallic glasses (MGs). The glassy behavior was then clarified through in-situ synchrotron diffraction and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The investigations reveal that an unusual atomic density evolution, as well as entropy changes and the size of string-like structures play a key role in the decrease of the hardness upon CTC treatment. The amorphous nature of the material is maintained despite relatively large atomic displacements and von Mise's stress magnitudes. Our work advances the current understanding of the atomic-scale structural properties and the mechanisms of structure evolution of disordered structural materials.

AB - Cryogenic thermal cycling (CTC) is a feasible method for improving the mechanical properties in plenty of applications on a variety of metallic materials. In this work, the CTC technique was used to tune the hardness and potential energy of metallic glasses (MGs). The glassy behavior was then clarified through in-situ synchrotron diffraction and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The investigations reveal that an unusual atomic density evolution, as well as entropy changes and the size of string-like structures play a key role in the decrease of the hardness upon CTC treatment. The amorphous nature of the material is maintained despite relatively large atomic displacements and von Mise's stress magnitudes. Our work advances the current understanding of the atomic-scale structural properties and the mechanisms of structure evolution of disordered structural materials.

KW - Critical size

KW - in-situ synchrotron radiation

KW - Metallic glass

KW - Molecular dynamical simulation

KW - String-like

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85213575134&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.jallcom.2024.178287

DO - 10.1016/j.jallcom.2024.178287

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85213575134

VL - 1010.2025

JO - Journal of alloys and compounds

JF - Journal of alloys and compounds

SN - 0925-8388

IS - 5 January

M1 - 178287

ER -