skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Understanding glass-forming ability through sluggish crystallization of atomically thin metallic glassy films

Journal Article · · Applied Physics Letters
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4892448· OSTI ID:22314479

The glass-forming ability (GFA) of an alloy, closely related to its ability to resist crystallization, is a crucial issue in condensed matter physics. So far, the studies on GFA are mostly statistical and empirical guides. Benefiting from the ultrahigh thermal stability of ultrathin metallic glassy film and high resolution spherical aberration-corrected transmission electron microscope, the crystallization of atomically thin ZrCu and its microalloyed ZrCuAl glasses with markedly different GFA was investigated at the atomic scale. We find the Zr diffusivity estimated from the density of nuclei is dramatically decreased by adding of Al, which is the major reason for the much better GFA of the ZrCuAl metallic glass.

OSTI ID:
22314479
Journal Information:
Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 105, Issue 5; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English