Correlation between Local Structure Order and Spatial Heterogeneity in a Metallic Glass

Fan Zhu, Akihiko Hirata, Pan Liu, Shuangxi Song, Yuan Tian, Jiuhui Han, Takeshi Fujita, and Mingwei Chen
Phys. Rev. Lett. 119, 215501 – Published 20 November 2017
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Abstract

Although nanoscale spatial heterogeneity of metallic glasses has been demonstrated by extensive experimental and theoretical investigations, the nature of spatial heterogeneity remains poorly known owing to the absence of a structural depiction of the inhomogeneity from experimental insight. Here we report the experimental characterization of the spatial heterogeneity of a metallic glass by utilizing state-of-the-art angstrom-beam electron diffraction and scanning transmission electron microscopy. The subnanoscale electron diffraction reveals that the nanoscale spatial heterogeneity and corresponding density fluctuation have a close correlation with the local structure variation from icosahedronlike to tetragonal crystal-like order. The structural insights of spatial heterogeneity have important implications in understanding the properties and dynamics of metallic glasses.

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  • Received 1 June 2017

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.215501

© 2017 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Condensed Matter, Materials & Applied Physics

Authors & Affiliations

Fan Zhu1,2, Akihiko Hirata2,3, Pan Liu1, Shuangxi Song1, Yuan Tian4, Jiuhui Han2, Takeshi Fujita2, and Mingwei Chen1,2,4,*

  • 1State Key Laboratory of Metal Matrix Composites, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, China
  • 2Advanced Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577, Japan
  • 3Mathematics for Advanced Materials-OIL, AIST-Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577, Japan
  • 4Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA

  • *Corresponding author. mwchen@jhu.edu

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Issue

Vol. 119, Iss. 21 — 24 November 2017

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