Packing away fractal structure

Abstract

Metallic Glasses Metallic glasses are strong, but relatively elastic, making them interesting for a wide variety of applications. Much debate around the structure of these glasses has recently centered on the scaling between volume and the spacing between atoms. In two papers, Feng et al. show that this scaling overall is compact, like other solids. This contrasts with recent claims of more exotic, widespread fractal packing for similar metallic glasses. It also helps us understand the atomic origin of these fascinating materials. J. Phys. Condens. Matter 30 , 255402 (2018); Phys. Rev. B 98 , 024201 (2018).