Phase field crystal modelling of the order-to-disordered atomistic structure transition of metallic glasses

Abstract

Bulk metallic glass composites are a new class of metallic alloy systems that have very high tensile strength, ductility and fracture toughness. This unique combination of mechanical properties is largely determined by the presence of crystalline phases uniformly distributed within the glassy matrix. However, there have been very limited reports on how the crystalline phases are nucleated in the super-cooled liquid and their growth dynamics, especially lack of information on the order-to-disordered atomistic structure transition across the crystalline-amorphous interface. In this paper, we use phase field crystal (PFC) method to study the nucleation and growth of the crystalline phases and the glass formation of the super cooled liquid of a binary alloy. The study is focused on understanding the order-to-disordered transition of atomistic configuration across the interface between the crystalline phases and amorphous matrix of different chemical compositions at different thermal conditions. The capability of using PFC to simulate the order-to-disorder atomistic transition in the bulk material or across the interface is discussed in details.