Metallic glass: How nanoscale islands react under strain
Wednesday, May 8, 2013 - 06:40
in Physics & Chemistry
Quick-cooling molten atoms give metal alloys a glassy, or random, atomic structure that generates higher elasticity and better wear- and corrosion-resistance than their crystalline alloy counterparts. However, these 'metallic glasses' also suffer from brittleness that makes them shatter. Findings from Yong Wei Zhang of the A*STAR Institute of High Performance Computing in Singapore and co-workers may now make it easier to use metallic glass in practical engineering applications. They have discovered that a fundamental relationship between material plasticity and atomic 'islands', known as 'shear transition zones' (STZs), enables precise measurement and prediction of fracturing in these materials.