Spatially Resolved Distribution Function and the Medium-Range Order in Metallic Liquid and Glass

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2011-12-01
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Fang, X. W.
Wang, Cai-Zhuang
Hao, S. G.
Kramer, Matthew
Yao, Yongxin
Mendelev, Mikhail
Ding, Z. J.
Napolitano, Ralph
Ho, Kai-Ming
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Napolitano, Ralph
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Materials Science and Engineering
Materials engineers create new materials and improve existing materials. Everything is limited by the materials that are used to produce it. Materials engineers understand the relationship between the properties of a material and its internal structure — from the macro level down to the atomic level. The better the materials, the better the end result — it’s as simple as that.
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Abstract

The structural description of disordered systems has been a longstanding challenge in physical science. We propose an atomic cluster alignment method to reveal the development of three-dimensional topological ordering in a metallic liquid as it undercools to form a glass. By analyzing molecular dynamic (MD) simulation trajectories of a Cu64.5Zr35.5 alloy, we show that medium-range order (MRO) develops in the liquid as it approaches the glass transition. Specifically, around Cu sites, we observe “Bergman triacontahedron” packing (icosahedron, dodecahedron and icosahedron) that extends out to the fourth shell, forming an interpenetrating backbone network in the glass. The discovery of Bergman-type MRO from our order-mining technique provides unique insights into the topological ordering near the glass transition and the relationship between metallic glasses and quasicrystals.

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This article is from Scientific Reports (2011): 194, doi:10.1038/srep00194.

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Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 UTC 2011
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