Chapter 22 - Amorphous Materials

Abstract

Amorphous material is one kind of nonequilibrium material; its characteristic of atomic arrangement is more like liquid and has no long-range periodicity. The glass-forming ability of an alloy is closely related to its composition, and is quite different in various alloys. Generally, amorphous alloy can be produced by a rapid solidification method to freeze the liquid structure of the alloy melt, or other methods may be used that can mix atoms to achieve a disordered state. Amorphous materials have become one of the most actively researched fields. The deep theoretical understanding of the amorphization and nonequilibrium state guides and promotes research and development of amorphous materials. In this chapter, the atomic structure, formation criteria, and preparation methods of amorphous materials are summarized, and new progress in the formation and synthesis of bulk amorphous materials and bulk amorphous-based composites are briefly introduced.