Electron energy loss for two transition metal-transition metal glasses

Electron energy loss data are reported for metallic glasses Fe_0.92Zr_0.08 and Ni_0.5Zr_0.5. These data document the sensitivity of the spectra to sample thickness and suggest studies of metallic glasses require samples that are nearly $\text{1}\text{2}$ an order of magnitude “thinner” than crystalline alloys. Each electron energy loss spectrum has a dominant loss near 23–25 eV which is similar to the loss function of the pure 3-d metal. This lack of a shift in the location of the dominant loss challenges any simple model of plasmon behavior. The M₂₃ core losses are visible in the “thinner” samples and, in agreement with earlier studies on metal-metalloid glasses, no measureable chemical shift is observed.