Surface Behavior of Metallic Glasses Under Irradiation

Abstract

Structural inhomogeneity and defects caused in the forming process in metallic glasses lead to some weak areas (such as free volumes and liquid-like zones) embedding into the glassy phase, which are associated with the plastic flow. The energy introduced by an ion irradiation can change the number and distribution of free volumes. The irradiation at low dosage can change the structure by increasing the density of free volume, thus resulting in a decrease in the strength. The irradiation at high dosage makes nanocrystallization occurring in the metallic glass. The analysis of relaxation spectrum suggests that the relaxation strength increases, and then decreases with increasing the irradiation dosage. The results of this study highlight the fact that a large amount of free volumes can be achieved through a low-dose ion irradiation, which can modify the mechanical behavior of metallic glasses.