Nano-forming of the rare earth La-based metallic glass

Abstract

Due to the unique physical and chemical properties of rare earth elements, rare earth compounds have been widely applied in many fields, such as optics, information, permanent magnet, energy, catalysis, biology and other fields. As an efficient strategy that could strongly adjust material performance, developing controllable nano-engineering method for rare earth alloys is of great significance. In the present work, we show that uniform and controllable nanowires can be readily fabricated on the surface of La-based metallic glasses. The forming mechanism was investigated and it is found that the viscous metallic glass exhibited Newtonian flow during the forming process. Owing to the unique nano-structures, the wettability could be greatly adjusted. The contact angle changed from 82 ± 1° of the smooth surface to 24 ± 1° of the structured surface. Our results throw lights on the extensive applications of rare earth nano-structures in many fields.