Probing nano-scale heterogeneities in metallic glasses

We propose to study nano-scale density inhomogeneities in metallic glasses (MGs) and how they relate to the stability and mechanical properties of the glasses, using nano-tomography at ID16A. Recent studies have shown that density inhomogeneities on the length scale of 200nm and above, and up to 20% in magnitude, can exist in melt-quenched MGs. However, it is unknown how these density inhomogeneities relate to the preparation method and thermal history of the MGs. Phase-contrast X-ray tomography at ID16A is well suited to answer this question thanks to its capability to detect low-level electron density fluctuations. The results are relevant to both the physical nature of the glass transition and industrial applications based on the mechanical properties of MGs.