非晶合金及合金液体的局域五次对称性

简要回顾了从20世纪30年代至今,有关非晶合金及合金液体的局域结构五次对称性的实验、理论和模拟研究.在简单液体的早期研究中,人们已经意识到五次对称性在简单液体的无序结构、过冷和晶化等起着重要作用,二十面体短程序作为五次对称性的典型代表受到了广泛关注.自从Frank提出简单液体中二十面体短程序的结构单元,大量的理论和实验研究已经明确在简单液体、合金液体和金属玻璃中存在局域五次对称性,并且建立了局域五次对称性与合金液体复杂动力学行为、玻璃转变、液体-液体相变以及非晶合金的形变等统一的定量描述和物理图像,表明了局域五次对称性作为结构参量的简单、普遍和有效性.     

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.     

非晶合金中的流变单元

非晶合金是一类具有诸多优异性能的先进金属材料,同时也是研究非晶态物质的模型体系.最近,大量的实验和模拟证据显示,在非晶合金中可能存在类似晶体中缺陷的"流变单元",这些动力学单元和非晶合金的的流变、物理、力学性能密切关联.本文主要综述了流变单元提出的背景、实验证据、流变单元的特征、激活与演化过程、相互作用以及相关的理论.文中提供了大量实验证据证明流变单元模型不仅可以帮助理解非晶态物质中如形变、玻璃转变、弛豫动力学以及非晶结构和性能的关系等重要的基本物理问题,而且可以指导非晶合金性能的调控和设计,获得性能优异的非晶合金材料.     

判定金属玻璃微观结构中的二十面体类团簇

基于Voronoi几何分形法, 分析了理想二十面体团簇和ZrCu二元金属玻璃中各种团簇的结构特点, 提出了一种判定金属玻璃原子结构中二十面体类团簇的方法. 并选取三个ZrCu 非晶成分作为研究对象, 基于Voronoi团簇, 利用该方法提取了各种构型团簇, 证实其中四种构型团簇的基本几何结构与理想二十面体相似, 并具有同样近似于理想二十面体的高致密度、高规则度和高五次对称性, 因此可称之为二十面体类团簇. 此类二十面体类团簇可作为金属玻璃的主要结构单元, 普遍存在于非晶结构中; 二十面体类团簇及其连接能包含几乎所有的原子, 从而形成非晶结构. 研究结果提供了一种新的团簇判定方法, 有助于从微观结构层面分析合金中的非晶形成机理.     

金属玻璃液体中的强脆转变现象

强脆转变是玻璃形成液体在从低温到高温升温过程中由强性液体转变为脆性液体的现象,反之从高温到低温冷却过程即为脆强转变.由于其意味着液体的结构发生了某种快速、非连续的变化,强脆转变现象成为异常动力学的典型代表.自1999年《Nature》杂志首次报道了水的强-脆转变现象之后,液体的强脆转变现象就作为凝聚态物理和材料科学领域中的前沿和热点问题被广泛关注.越来越多的研究表明,强脆转变现象在金属玻璃形成液体中普遍存在.为阐明金属玻璃强-脆转变现象对于深入理解玻璃转变本质、探讨液固遗传微观结构特征、揭示晶化过程相互竞争规律、提高玻璃形成能力、促进金属玻璃制备和处理工艺标准化等方面的重要意义,综合评述了强脆转变现象在金属玻璃形成液体中的普遍性、特殊性、定量表征、热力学表现以及结构起源等研究领域的最新进展,并指出了该领域今后的发展方向.     

LaGa-based bulk metallic glasses

We report the formation of La Ga-based bulk metallic glasses. Ternary La–Ga–Cu glassy rods of 2–3 mm in diameter can be easily formed in a wide composition range by the conventional copper mold casting method. With minor addition of extra elements such as Co, Ni, Fe, Nb, Y, and Zr, the critical diameter of the full glassy rods of the La–Ga–Cu matrix can be markedly enhanced to at least 5 mm. The characteristics and properties of these new La Ga-based bulk metallic glasses with excellent glass formation ability and low glass transition temperature are model systems for fundamental issues investigation and could have some potential applications in micromachining field.     

金属玻璃形成液体的热力学特性

通过分析规则熔体的热力学模型，计算了典型金属玻璃的熔体混合焓ΔH^mix和混合熵ΔS^mix.结合临界冷却速率，归纳出典型金属玻璃形成液体的热力学特性,并提出基于原子尺寸、元素组成以及元素之间混合焓等参数的形成大块金属玻璃的成分判定方法.结果表明，当ΔH^mix<-15 kJ·mol^-1且ΔS^mix>0.6 J·K^-1mol^-1时，合金易于形成大块金属玻璃.金属玻璃的临界冷却速率R_c具有明显的尺寸效应，其值与熔体的ΔS^mix值呈指数关系，可以用R_c＝42.24×10⁴exp(-13.91ΔS^mix)+19.66粗略判断.运用该方法成功设计并制备出远离原有Zr基大块金属玻璃形成区域(55at%—65at%Zr)的Zr₄₀Al₁₀Ni₁₅Cu₃₅和四元Fe-B基Fe₅₃Co₅Nd₁₂B₃₀大块金属玻璃. 关键词： 混合焓 混合熵 大块金属玻璃 玻璃形成能力     

探索塑性金属玻璃

缺乏室温宏观塑性是限制金属玻璃应用,制约金属玻璃形变机理研究的主要障碍,因此探索具有室温宏观塑性的金属玻璃材料成为金属玻璃研究领域的热点.文章首先介绍了作者为提高金属玻璃室温塑性所采用的三种在实践中可行的方法,然后根据金属玻璃的弹性模量（泊松比）与塑性的关系,报道了作者在设计大塑性金属玻璃材料方面的最新进展.     

金属玻璃的断裂机理与其断裂韧度的关系

本文选取了三种不同断裂韧度值的金属玻璃Zr41.25Ti13.75Ni10Cu12.5Be22.5,Ce68Al10Cu20Co2和Fe41Co7Cr15Mo14Y2C15B6,通过压缩实验测量了它们的应力-应变关系;样品断裂以后观察了其断口形貌,发现这三种金属玻璃具有不同的断裂模式.经过对这三种金属玻璃做缺口三点弯曲实验,利用数字散斑技术研究了缺口前端应变集中方向弹性应变场的演化过程.根据金属玻璃的屈服准则,阐述了不同断裂韧度值的金属玻璃的断裂机理.     

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.     

Preferred clusters in metallic glasses

In this work,we present a feasible scheme based on framework of the sophisticated Voronoi tessellation method in order to evaluate what clusters should be preferred for building blocks in any given metallic glass,by analysing the fivefold-symmetry axes as well as the degree of structural regularity in various clusters.This scheme is well proved by a group of experiments and calculations,which may have broad implications for exploration of obtaining explicit and proper structural pictures,and understanding the structural origin of the unique properties and glass forming ability in these novel amorphous alloys.     

Fe-B-Y-Nb bulk metallic glasses in relation to clusters

Bulk metallic glass formations in the Fe-B-Y-Nb quaternary alloy system were investigated by using the cluster line rule in combination with the minor alloying principle. The Fe-B-Y ternary system was selected as the basic system and the intersections of cluster lines were taken as the basic ternary compositions. The basic compositions were further alloyed with minor amounts of Nb. After 3–5 at.% Nb was added, the basic composition Fe_68.6B_25.7Y_5.7, which was developed from the most densely packed cluster Fe₈B₃, formed 3 mm bulk metallic glasses. These quaternary bulk metallic glasses (Fe_68.6B_25.7Y_5.7)_100−x Nb _x (x = 3–5 at.%) are expressed approximately with a unified simple composition formula: (Fe₈B₃)₁(Y, Nb)₁. The (Fe_68.6B_25.7Y_5.7)₉₇Nb₃ bulk metallic glass has the largest glass forming ability with the following characteristic parameters T _g = 907 K, T _x = 1006 K, T _g/T _l = 0.644, γ = 0.434, and longness t = 22 mm. The combination of the cluster line rule and the minor-alloying principle is a promising new route towards the quantitative composition design of multi-component metallic glasses. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 50671018, 50631010 and 50401020) and the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2007CB613902)     

Al-Ni-RE非晶合金的晶化行为和热稳定性

本文制备了一系列Al-Ni-RE (RE=La, Ce, Y) 非晶合金薄带, 利用差示量热扫描仪和X射线衍射仪考察了非晶合金的晶化行为和初生相, 并分析了其与合金成分和原子特性间的关系. 结果表明: 在拓扑不稳定参数λ以有效原子半径修正为λ'后, 每一Al-Ni-RE非晶合金体系可由其两个临界值划分为纳米晶、纳米玻璃和玻璃三类; Al-Ni-RE非晶合金的晶化开始温度和混合焓与λ'成良好的线性关系, 即λ'能很好的表征Al基非晶合金的热稳定性. 关键词： Al基非晶 玻璃转变 初生相 热稳定性     

Three-point bending fracture characteristics of bulk metallic glasses

This paper presents the SEM micrographs for the three-point bending fracture surfaces of Zr-based, Ce-based and Mg-based bulk metallic glasses (BMGs), which show the dimple structures in the three kinds of BMGs. The shapes of the giant plastic deformation domain on the fracture surface are similar but the sizes are different. The fracture toughness KC and the dimple structure size of the Zr-based BMG are both the largest, and those of the Mg-based BMG are the smallest. The fracture toughness KC and the dimple structure size of the Ce-based BMG are between those of the Zr-based and the Mg-based BMG. Through analyzing the data of different fracture toughnesses of the BMGs, we find that the plastic zone width follows w = (KC/σY)2/(6π).     

X-ray diffraction from single Al6CuLi3 grains showing five-fold symmetry

We present here the detailed results of X-ray diffraction from single quasicrystals of Al₆CuLi₃. X-ray precession photographs taken down the two-, three- and five-fold axes along with rotation and zero-level Weissenberg photographs are shown. Preliminary analysis of the diffraction data rules out the twin hypothesis.     

金属玻璃温度依赖的拉压屈服不对称研究

通过引入静水应力对自由体积演化的影响, 研究了金属玻璃在不同温度下的拉压屈服行为. 结果表明, 在拉伸和压缩载荷下, 屈服强度均满足(T/T_g)^1/2的温度依赖关系; 同时, 在不同温度下, 材料的压力敏感系数保持为常值0.1. 随着温度的升高, 压力对自由体积的影响逐渐降低, 从而导致材料的拉压屈服不对称性逐渐趋于不显著. 在高温下, 显著的结构弛豫减缓了自由体积增长速率从而抑制材料迅速屈服. 这些结果将有助于更深入的认识金属玻璃屈服及其拉压不对称性的内在机理.     

非晶塑性变形机理研究新进展

非晶合金的塑性变形机理一直是材料科学和凝聚态物理研究的热点问题之一.文章简单介绍了近来中国科学院物理研究所在非晶合金塑性机理研究方面的最新进展,介绍了玻璃转变和塑性变形机制之间的关联性及最新的实验证据,以及从非平衡态统计力学角度对非晶塑性变形机制的理解,指出非晶合金的塑性和剪切带的动力学状态密切相关,发现韧性非晶合金在变形过程中可以演化到自组织临界状态.这对认识非晶合金的形成本质,探索具有实际应用价值的非晶合金具有重要意义.     

Corrosion behavior of bulk metallic glasses in different aqueous solutions

The corrosion behavior of as-cast fully amorphous, structural relaxed amorphous and crystallized Fe65.5Cr4Mo4Ga4P12C5B5.5 bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) in NaCl, HCl and NaOH solutions was investigated by electrochemical polarization and immersion methods. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements was used to analyze the changes of the elements on the alloy surface before and after immersion in various solutions. The corrosion resistance of the Fe65.5Cr4Mo4Ga4P12C5B5.5 BMG was better than its structural r...     

Interactions between high-temperature deformation and crystallization in zirconium-based bulk metallic glasses

High-temperature deformation of a ZrTiCuNiBe bulk metallic glass (BMG) is investigated by compression tests in the supercooled liquid region. When the temperature is decreased or strain rate increased, the amorphous alloy exhibits the usual Newtonian/non-Newtonian transition behaviour. Using specific heat treatments, partially crystallized alloys are produced, the associated microstructures characterized and the volume fractions of the crystal measured. The interaction between high-temperature deformation and crystallization is investigated by appropriate mechanical testing. According to these measurements, partial crystallization is responsible for a significant increase in flow stress and the promotion of non-Newtonian behaviour. Deformation does not significantly change the volume fraction, composition or size of the crystal. The flow-stress increase with crystallization is analyzed under different hypotheses. We conclude that the flow-stress increase cannot be interpreted through a compositional change in the residual amorphous matrix, either by reinforcement due to hard crystallites or by connections between crystals. It appears that the effect is due to the nanometric size of the crystals alone.     

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.