Investigation of closely packed local structures in a simple metallic glass (Ni62Nb38) under high pressure .

Pressure induced amorphous to amorphous transition in covalently bonded substances with open local structures have been extensively studied over the years. However, this is not the case for amorphous metallic glasses with closely packed local structures and high coordination numbers. Pressure induced local structural changes in these densely packed disordered systems and its correlation with the anomalous pressure behavior are still poorly understood. We aim to take a further step into this issue by investigating the pressure behavior of closely packed local structures in a simple system, binary Ni62Nb38 metallic glass. We propose to use EXAFS, an element selective technique and ideal probe of local structures in amorphous systems. The goal of the current project is to improve the current understanding on the pressure behavior of closely packed disordered systems, a matter of importance for basic and applied sciences.