Structural Signature of Plasticity Unveiled by Nano-Scale Viscoelastic Contact in a Metallic Glass.

ABSTRACT: Room-temperature plasticity in metallic glasses (MGs) is commonly associated with local structural heterogeneity; however, direct observation of the subtle structural change caused by plasticity is vitally important but the data are extremely scarce. Based on dynamic atomic force microscopy (DAFM), here we show that plasticity-induced structural evolution in a Zr-Ni MG can be revealed via nano-scale viscoelastic contacts between an AFM tip and plastically deformed MG surface layers. Our experimental results clearly show a spatial amplification of the nano-scale structural heterogeneity caused by the distributed plastic flow, which can be linked to the limited growth, reorientation and agglomeration of some nano-scale energy-absorbing regions, which are reminiscent of the behavior of the de

SUBMITTER: Lu YM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4935946 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature