Atomic transport in amorphous metals

Abstract

Abstract A novel mechanism of atomic transport in amorphous metallic alloys, or metallic glasses, is proposed based upon the fluctuations in the local structure. The proposed mechanism is very different from those in crystalline solids and from the free volume model, and is characterized by the bond-exchange action triggered by the local topological instability of the atomic environment. The implications of this mechanism on the liquid fragility and bulk metallic glass formation are discussed.