NMR signature of evolution of ductile-to-brittle transition in bulk metallic glasses

The mechanical properties of monolithic metallic glasses depend on the structures at atomic or subnanometer scales, while a clear correlation between mechanical behavior and structures has not been well established in such amorphous materials. In this work, we find a clear correlation of (27)Al NMR isotropic shifts with a microalloying induced ductile-to-brittle transition at ambient temperature in bulk metallic glasses, which indicates that the (27)Al NMR isotropic shift can be regarded as a structural signature to characterize plasticity for this metallic glass system. The study provides a compelling approach for investigating and understanding the mechanical properties of metallic glasses from the point of view of electronic structure.     

不均匀性:非晶合金的灵魂

非晶合金,即金属玻璃,是一类特殊的由基本化学元素组成的非晶态物质,由于其独特的微观组织结构,展现出了不同于传统晶态合金材料的特殊物性,而成为高性能材料应用领域的重要一员.由于非晶合金的结构无序性,且当前精确表征其微观结构的实验手段缺乏,相应的理论模型也不完善,人们对非晶合金中一些基础物理问题的认识尚且不足,无法形成基本的理论框架来精确地描述其物性产生的微观机理.因而,当前非晶合金研究的核心问题可以概括为:如何建立以微观特征或结构为基础的基本理论框架,准确地概括非晶合金物性的微观机理.在过去几十年里,针对非晶合金的大量研究表明,在非晶合金长程无序的特征中,隐藏着本征的不均匀性和有序,且这些不均匀性的特征与材料物性有着密切的关联,使得建立以不均匀性特征为基础的理论框架成为可能.本文从非晶合金微观特征的不均匀性包括静态不均匀性和动态不均匀性的视角出发,概括性地总结了非晶合金材料与物理研究中取得的丰硕成果,及当前需要关注的重要科学问题,并针对未来可能的研究模式进行了展望.     

非晶材料与物理近期研究进展

由于结合了金属和玻璃的特性,非晶合金表现出许多新奇和优异的力学和物理性质,在很多领域具有广泛的应用前景.非晶合金具有连续可调的成分、简单无序的原子结构、丰富多变的材料性质,为研究非晶态物理中的许多共性科学问题提供了理想的模型材料.块体非晶合金的发展更是将玻璃和液体及其相关科学问题的研究推进到凝聚态物理和材料科学的研究前沿.中国科学院物理研究所极端条件物理重点实验室亚稳材料合成、结构及性能研究组(EX4组)近二十年来一直致力于非晶材料和物理的研究,在新型非晶合金的制备、物性以及相关机理的研究上取得了许多重要成果.本文介绍团队最近在非晶材料和物理机理方面取得的研究成果,包括非晶合金的动力学行为和调控、非晶合金的表面动力学、功能应用以及材料探索新方法等.     

非晶合金的磁热效应及磁蓄冷性能

非晶合金的功能物性开发是突破非晶合金应用瓶颈的关键点之一.磁相变是非晶合金的一个重要特征.利用非晶合金的磁相变所带来的独特效应,可以将其应用于制冷领域.一方面非晶合金的磁热效应可以作为磁制冷材料应用于磁制冷机,另一方面非晶合金的比热突变可以作为磁蓄冷材料应用于低温制冷机.本文就非晶合金的磁热效应和磁蓄冷性能的原理、特征及其应用前景进行了详细介绍.     

脆性金属玻璃断面上的奇妙图案

文章简要介绍了脆性块体金属玻璃(简称BMG)断裂面上几种主要的图案花样:河流花样、"韧窝"结构花样和自组装条纹结构花样,并总结了目前对上述各种形貌形成机理的可能的物理解释.对BMG断裂面上形貌的研究可以揭示材料的断裂机理,有助于更深刻地理解材料的力学性能,开发高性能金属玻璃材料,并为工程选材提供安全标准.     

纳米结构非晶合金材料研究进展

迄今为止,人类社会新技术的发展主要是基于各种晶体材料(如金属、半导体等)的应用.晶体材料的性能可以通过改变它们的微观缺陷结构和/或微观化学结构来调控,但这对于当前的非晶材料而言却是难以实现的.新型的纳米结构非晶材料可以通过引入大量的非晶/非晶界面来改变非晶材料的微观缺陷结构和/或微观化学结构,从而实现对其性能的调控.本文主要讨论了目前纳米结构非晶合金材料的研究进展,包括其制备方法、结构特征和新性能.通过利用这些新特性,有可能会开启一个基于非晶材料的新技术时代.     

非晶合金的高通量制备与表征

非晶合金是一种不同于传统合金材料的新型合金,其突出的机械、物理、化学等性能在工程应用领域备受关注.作为一种具有无序原子结构的新型合金,非晶合金中蕴含的丰富的物理现象在基础研究领域也备受瞩目.非晶合金往往由多个组元构成,这给成分优化和性能调制带来了巨大的挑战.材料基因组方法是最近发展起来的新方法,通过高通量制备和结构表征以及性能筛选有望加快新型非晶合金材料的探索,在高通量表征中获得的大量实验数据可以帮助人们理解非晶合金中的科学问题.本文主要介绍高通量制备和表征在非晶合金中的应用,通过列举典型案例,展示通过高通量方法探索新型非晶合金材料的作用.     

Secondary relaxation and dynamic heterogeneity in metallic glasses:A brief review

Understanding mechanical relaxation, such as primary(α) and secondary(β) relaxation, is key to unravel the intertwined relation between the atomic dynamics and non-equilibrium thermodynamics in metallic glasses. At a fundamental level, relaxation, plastic deformation, glass transition, and crystallization of metallic glasses are intimately linked to each other, which can be related to atomic packing, inter-atomic diffusion, and cooperative atom movement. Conceptually, βrelaxation is usually associated with structural heterogeneities intrinsic to metallic glasses. However, the details of such structural heterogeneities, being masked by the meta-stable disordered long-range structure, are yet to be understood. In this paper, we briefly review the recent experimental and simulation results that were attempted to elucidate structural heterogeneities in metallic glasses within the framework of β relaxation. In particular, we will discuss the correlation amongβ relaxation, structural heterogeneity, and mechanical properties of metallic glasses.     

Amorphous Coatings and Surfaces on Structural Materials

Metallic glasses show a unique combination of high strength, excellent corrosion, and wear resistances because of their amorphous structure having a short-range order. In spite of excellent properties, the application of metallic glasses is restricted because of their inherent limitations in the bulk form, including limited tensile ductility. Using metallic glasses as the coatings for structural applications is an attractive way of taking advantage of their superior properties. Additionally, metallic glass-based composites having crystalline phases embedded in a amorphous matrix have also shown improved properties. Thus, metallic glasses can be synthesized as the coatings or subjected to surface modification to provide functionally superior surfaces. This article is a review of metallic glass-based coatings and surface modification of metallic glasses to achieve functionally superior surfaces for structural applications. Essential theoretical concepts were discussed which influence the processing. Common ways of processing along with the influence of various processing parameters were explored. Some non-conventional techniques which emerged as a result of continued efforts were also taken into account. Corrosion and wear properties of these materials along with the underlying mechanisms were discussed in detail. Focus was given to the recent product level applications explored in the open literature. Current challenges in the field were reviewed and guidelines for the future developments were provided.     

Interstitialcy theory of condensed matter states and its application to non-crystalline metallic materials

A comprehensive review of a novel promising framework for the understanding of non-crystalline metallic materials, i.e., interstitialcy theory of condensed matter states(ITCM), is presented. The background of the ITCM and its basic results for equilibrium/supercooled liquids and glasses are given. It is emphasized that the ITCM provides a new consistent, clear, and testable approach, which uncovers the generic relationship between the properties of the maternal crystal,equilibrium/supercooled liquid and glass obtained by melt quenching.     

Phase separating bulk metallic glass: a hierarchical composite

Phase separating systems present a unique opportunity for designing composites with hierarchical microstructure at different length scales. We report here our success in synthesizing phase separating metallic glasses exhibiting the entire spectrum of microstructural possibilities expected from a phase separating system. In particular, we report novel core shell and hierarchical structures of spherical glassy droplets, resulting from critical wetting behavior and limited diffusion. We also report synthesis of a bulk phase separating glass in a metallic glass system. The combination of unique core shell and hierarchical structures in metallic glass systems opens a new avenue for the microstructure design of metallic glasses.     

金属玻璃的热塑性成型

金属玻璃在其过冷液相区内表现出随着温度升高黏度逐渐降低的特性,因此可以对其进行热塑性加工.该性质颠覆了传统金属的加工成型方式,使得其在远低于传统金属材料加工的温度和应力作用下可以按照人们的要求进行成型.因此,一些具有低玻璃转变温度的金属玻璃又被称作金属塑料.另外,由于金属玻璃是一种无序结构材料,不存在位错、晶界等晶体缺陷,且热膨胀系数小,在热塑性成型中具有优异的尺寸精度,因此被认为是理想的微成型材料,有广阔的应用前景.本文系统介绍了金属玻璃的热塑性成型性质及其应用,从热塑性成型的基本概念出发,阐述了金属玻璃热塑性成型能力的评估指标、热塑性成型技术、热塑性微成型及其理论、热塑性微成型的应用等,对认识金属玻璃的热塑性及扩展其应用有重要的意义.     

金属玻璃流变的扩展弹性模型

玻璃-液体转变现象,简称玻璃转变,被诺贝尔物理学奖获得者安德森教授评为最深奥与重要的凝聚态物理问题之一.金属玻璃作为典型的非晶态物质,具有与液体相似的无序原子结构,因此又称为冻结了的液态金属,是研究玻璃转变问题的理想模型材料.当加热至玻璃转变温度,或者加载到力学屈服点附近时,金属玻璃将会发生流动.由于热或应力导致的流动现象对金属玻璃的应用具有重要意义.本文简要回顾了金属玻璃流变现象,综述了流变扩展弹性模型的研究进展和未来发展趋势.     

Prediction of new phases of nitrogen at high pressure from first-principles simulations

A rich variety of competing phases is predicted for nitrogen at accessible pressures, including a new metallic chainlike phase very close in energy to the previously predicted cubic gauche phase, and other phases at slightly higher energies, e.g., one with N2 and N6 units. Large energy barriers between structures can account for recent observations of metastability, and we identify a low barrier transition path from the known epsilon phase to the chainlike metallic phase. In analogy to MgB2, the metal is anisotropic with multiple Fermi surfaces formed from pi and sigma states.     

Ordering and growth of Langmuir–Blodgett films: X-ray scattering studies

The interplay of ordering, confinement and growth in ultrathin films gives rise to various interesting phenomena not observed in bulk materials. The nature of ordering and interfacial morphology present in these films, in turn, depends on their growth mechanism. Well-ordered metal–organic films, deposited using an enigmatic Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) technique, are not only ideal systems for understanding the interplay between growth and structure of ultrathin films but also for studying chemical reactions and phase transitions in confined geometries. Studies on these LB films also enhance our understanding of the fundamental interactions of amphiphilic molecules important for biological systems. Advent of grazing incidence X-ray scattering techniques has enabled us to probe the interfacial structure of these multilayer films at very high resolution and as a result has improved our knowledge about the mechanism of growth processes and about physical/chemical properties of ultrathin films. In this review we will focus our attention on recent results obtained using these X-ray scattering techniques to understand the mechanism of growth leading to formation of remarkably well-ordered LB films after giving a brief outline of these scattering techniques. In addition, we also review recent results on growth and structure of nanoparticles formed by suitable chemical processes within the ordered matrix of LB films. Finally, we will discuss the work done on melting of LB films and its implications in our understanding of melting process in lower dimensions. In all these studies, especially those on as-deposited LB films results of atomic force microscopy measurements have provided important complementary morphological information.     

Recent Advancements in Bulk Metallic Glasses and Their Applications: A Review

Bulk metallic glasses (BMGs), that display extraordinary properties of high strength, corrosion resistance, polymer-like formability, and excellent magnetic properties, are emerging as modern quintessential engineering materials. BMGs have garnered significant research enthusiasm owing to their tremendous technological and scientific standing. In this article, the recent advancements in the field of BMGs and their applications are put in a nutshell. Novel state-of-the-art production routes and nano/microimprinting strategies with salient features capable of circumventing the processing related complexities as well as accelerating modern developments, are briefly summarized. Heterogeneous BMG composite systems that lead to incredible combination of otherwise conflicting properties are highlighted. Biocorrosion studies and recent developments in the field of magnetic BMGs are presented owing to their significance for prospective biomedical and magnetic applications, respectively. In the last section, the current status of BMGs applications in the field of catalysis, biomedical materials, structural materials, functional materials, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), and micro/macro devices are summed up.     

Ultrashort laser pulse–matter interaction: Implications for high energy materials

The interaction of ultrashort [nanosecond (ns)/picosecond (ps)/femtosecond (fs)] pulses with materials is an exhaustive area of research with underlying, and often extremely rich, physics along with a plethora of applications evolving from it. High-energy materials (HEMs) are chemical compounds or mixture of compounds which, under suitable initiation, undergoes a very rapid exothermic and self-propagating decomposition. Herein, we describe the interaction of laser pulses with materials and its implications for studies on HEMs in four parts: (a) ns and fs laser-induced breakdown spectroscopic (LIBS) studies of HEMs towards understanding the molecular dynamics and discrimination, (b) ps/fs pulses interaction with metallic solids towards the production of nanoparticles, nanostructures and their utility in identifying explosive molecules using surface-enhanced Raman scattering studies, (c) interaction of laser pulses with the bulk and surface of glasses and polymers producing micro- and nanostructures for microfluidic/lab-on-a-chip applications, and (d) ultrafast spectroscopic studies for comprehending the excited state dynamics towards elucidation of vibrational dynamics in HEMs. Several applications resulting from these interactions will be discussed in detail.     

金属氢研究新进展

简要介绍了金属氢的研究意义和应用前景 ,详细评述了有关的高压实验方法和最近的研究成果及进展 ,特别是固体氢的相图、结构和相变 .近十多年来 ,随着超高压技术的发展 ,已能在金刚石对顶砧 (DAC)上产生30 0GPa的静态压力 ,并可进行高压原位实验研究 .对固体氢进行了高压拉曼、同步辐射X射线、光反射和吸收、同步辐射红外光谱等一系列高压物性和相变研究 .从而确定了固体氢的三个相 ,并提出了可能的相结构 .     

Metallic photonic crystals

Metallic photonic crystals (PC), also originally called artificial dielectrics, have properties different from those of their dielectric homologues. They are of strategic interest for the microwave domain where they exhibit sufficiently weak loss in addition to their robustness, conformability and low-cost fabrication. In this paper, we review some recent results on metallic photonic crystals and their potential applications to microwave circuits and antennas. After recalling spectral properties of metallic PC, we successively address ultra-compact structures such as high-impedance surfaces, electrically controllable photonic band gaps and left-handed materials. Finally, we discuss new opportunities offered by metallic PCs in the optical domain. To cite this article: J.-M. Lourtioz, A. de Lustrac, C. R. Physique 3 (2002) 79–88