Low-temperature Heat Capacity Research Articles

A Spontaneous Magnetic Moment in an Organic Radical: Synthesis and Characterization of Benzodioxepinyl-1,3,2-dithiazolyl.

The synthesis of the 1,3,2-dithiazolyl radical (1) derived from 3,4-dihydro-2H-1,5-benzodioxepine is described. Crystals of 1 were grown by vacuum sublimation and adopt the orthorhombic space group Pbca. DC SQUID magnetometry reveals Curie-Weiss behavior for T > 20 K (C = 0.376 emu K mol-1 and θ = +5.7 K) consistent with local ferromagnetic interactions. The presence of weaker antiferromagnetic interactions led to magnetic ordering as a canted antiferromagnet (TN = 3.8 K) with a small spontaneous moment (2.5 × 10-4 Nβ) and a small coercivity (ca. 8 Oe) at 2 K. Magnetic ordering was reflected in a field dependence of the magnetic susceptibility below 3.8 K and a peak in the low temperature heat capacity data. A canting angle of 0.08° was estimated from M vs H data.

Revisiting the Extension of SGTE Heat Capacity Data to Zero Kelvin: Combining Classical Fit Polynomials with Debye–Einstein Functions

AbstractIt is demonstrated in this work that a four parameter Debye–Einstein integral is an excellent fitting function for heat capacity values of pure elements from zero Kelvin to room temperature provided that there are no phase transformations in this temperature range. The standard errors of the four parameters of the Debye–Einstein approach are provided. As examples the temperature dependent molar heat capacities of Fe, Al, Ag and Au are calculated in the temperature range from 0 to 300 K. Standard molar entropies, enthalpies and values of a molar Gibbs energy related function are derived from the molar heat capacities and the values are compared to literature data. The next goal focuses on a seamless transition of these low temperature heat capacities to SGTE (Scientific Group Thermodata Europe) unary data. This can be achieved by penalyzing deviations in the heat capacity values and in their temperature derivatives at the transition point. Whereas the constrained heat capacities of Fe and Al mimic the experimental data, the calculated values deviate considerably in case of Ag and Au. As an alternative a smooth transition in the heat capacities and the temperature derivative is achieved by a switch function employed close to the transition region.

Unveiling the boson peaks in amorphous phase-change materials

The Boson peak is a universal phenomenon in amorphous solids. It can be observed as an anomalous contribution to the low-temperature heat capacity over the Debye model. Amorphous phase-change materials (PCMs) such as Ge-Sb-Te are a family of poor glass formers with fast crystallization kinetics, being of interest for phase-change memory applications. So far, whether Boson peaks exist in PCMs is unknown and, if they do, their relevance to PCM properties is unclear. Here, we investigate the thermodynamic properties of the pseudo-binary compositions on the tie-line between Ge15Te85and Ge15Sb85from a few Kelvins to the liquidus temperatures. Our results demonstrate the evidence of the pronounced Boson peaks in heat capacity below 10 K in the amorphous phase of all compositions. By fitting the data using the Debye model combined with a modification of the Einstein model, we can extract the characteristic parameters of the Boson peaks and attribute their origin to the excess vibrational modes of dynamic defects in the amorphous solids. We find that these parameters correlate almost linearly with the Sb-content of the alloys, despite the nonmonotonic behaviors in glass forming abilities and thermal stabilities. In a broader context, we show that the correlations of the characteristic parameters of the Boson peaks with Tg and kinetic fragility, vary according to the type of bonding. Specifically, metallic glasses and conventional covalent glasses exhibit distinct patterns of dependence, whereas PCMs manifest characteristics that lie in between. A deeper understanding of the Boson peaks in PCMs holds the promise to enable predictions of material properties at higher temperatures based on features observed in low-temperature heat capacity.

Phonon spectroscopy and features of low-temperature heat capacity of solid solutions of electrolytes

The kinetic characteristics of thermal frequency phonons in the region of helium temperatures in ceramic samples of the Ce1–xGdxO2–y electrolyte solid solution have been studied. To explain the temperature dependence of the phonon mean free path, we used the previously performed calculations of the energy of vacancy formation in the anion sublattice of a solid solution of zirconium dioxide stabilized by yttrium ZrO2:Y2O3 (YSZ) with a similar crystal structure. It is shown that in the Ce1–xGdxO2–y system under study, the formation of structural defects associated with the presence of vacancies in the anion sublattice with energy Δ = 8.53 K is possible. It has been established that analysis of the temperature dependences of the YSZ heat capacity allows one to trace the degree of disorder (amorphization) of the solid solution depending on its level of stabilization.

Evolution of ferromagnetism and electrical resistivity in Sb-doped Cr4PtGa17

We describe the doping effects on a metallic breathing pyrochlore compound, Cr4PtGa17. Upon doping with Sb, i.e., Cr4Pt(Ga1-xSbx)17, it was found that a selective doping on one of the seven Ga sites occurs. With increasing dopant level, the ferromagnetism in the parent compound is gradually suppressed, along with a decrease in fitted Curie-Weiss temperature (from 61 (1) K to −1.8 (1) K) and effective moment (from ∼2.26 μB/f.u. to ∼0.68 μB/f.u.). Low-temperature heat capacity measurements confirm the absence of magnetic ordering above 0.4 K for the three most doped samples. Meanwhile, electrical resistivity measurements display a metal-semiconductor transition with increasing Sb contents, which is attributed to an increase of Fermi energy based on the calculations of electronic band structure and density of states. Moreover, we have speculated that the ferromagnetism in Cr4PtGa17 is governed by itinerant electrons according to our observations. This study of Sb-doping effect on Cr4PtGa17 provides deeper understanding of magnetism of this system and possibilities for future modifications.

Low-Temperature Heat Capacity of Zinc Tungstate Single Crystal

Low-Temperature Heat Capacity of Zinc Tungstate Single Crystal

Experimental investigations and thermodynamic modelling of the ternary system Pb-Mo-O

A combined experimental and modelling study into the Pb-Mo-O system has been conducted in view of the safety analysis for lead-cooled nuclear systems. The thermal expansion and low-temperature heat capacity of the ternary compounds PbMoO4 and Pb2MoO5 have been determined experimentally, as well as the melting enthalpy of PbMoO4. Moreover, XANES measurements have confirmed the hexavalent oxidation state of Mo in PbMoO4 and Pb2MoO5.A thermodynamic model of the ternary system including the ternary phases PbMoO4, Pb2MoO5 and Pb5MoO8 has also been developed in this work based on the CALPHAD methodology. For the first time, an ionic two-sublattice model is used for the liquid phase, while the compound energy formalism is used for the solid phases.

Heat capacities and role of defects in ion transfer of quinuclidinium hexafluorophosphate plastic crystal

To study the phase behavior and role of defects in the ion conduction of a well-investigated plastic crystal electrolyte, we measured the low-temperature heat capacities of quinuclidinium hexafluorophosphate ([HQ]PF6) plastic crystal and the defects of pure [HQ]PF6 and its mixtures containing lithium ions and chloride ions. The heat capacities of the pure material show two solid‒solid phase transitions at room temperature and a low temperature. Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) revealed the phase dependence of the defect size for both the pure material and the mixtures. The defects in these two mixtures expand largely to approximately 2 (with Li+) and 2.5 (with Cl−) times larger than those in the pure material. The relationships between the ionic conductivity and vacancy volume of the pure material and the mixtures obey the Cohen−Turnbull free volume model, which is also phase dependent. This work help elucidate defect-assisted ion transfer in organic ionic plastic crystals.

Extended Regression Analysis for Debye-Einstein Models Describing Low Temperature Heat Capacity Data of Solids.

Heat capacity data of many crystalline solids can be described in a physically sound manner by Debye-Einstein integrals in the temperature range from 0K to 300K. The parameters of the Debye-Einstein approach are either obtained by a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) global optimization method or by a Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) local optimization routine. In the case of the MCMC approach the model parameters and the coefficients of a function describing the residuals of the measurement points are simultaneously optimized. Thereby, the Bayesian credible interval for the heat capacity function is obtained. Although both regression tools (LM and MCMC) are completely different approaches, not only the values of the Debye-Einstein parameters, but also their standard errors appear to be similar. The calculated model parameters and their associated standard errors are then used to derive the enthalpy, entropy and Gibbs energy as functions of temperature. By direct insertion of the MCMC parameters of all 4·105 computer runs the distributions of the integral quantities enthalpy, entropy and Gibbs energy are determined.

Low-temperature heat-capacities of corundum-type structured (Fe2O3)1−x(Al2O3)x solid solutions with x = 0.25, 0.50 and 0.75

Low-temperature heat-capacities of corundum-type structured (Fe2O3)1−x(Al2O3)x solid solutions with x = 0.25, 0.50 and 0.75

Room-Temperature Synthesis and Low Thermal Conductivity in Nanocrystalline Ag3CuS2.

Noble-metal-based chalcogenide materials recently gained massive attention in the field of thermoelectrics. In most cases, materials are synthesized using (i) high-temperature solid-state reactions or (ii) soft chemical methods where temperature requirements are lower than those of solid-state reactions (generally below 400 °C). Herein, we present a simple, surfactant-free, room-temperature, and energy-efficient synthesis of Ag3CuS2 nanocrystals. The present synthesis technique is scalable and capable of gram-scale production. A spark plasma sintering (SPS) pressed sample exhibits ultralow thermal conductivity (∼0.31 W/mK at room temperature). We found that Ag3CuS2 exhibits low sound velocity, as well as a non-Debye-like behavior based on a low-temperature heat capacity measurement. A high degree of anharmonicity of bonding, soft vibrations modes, and nanoscale grain boundary scattering in Ag3CuS2 lead to ultralow thermal conductivity, which can be important for thermoelectrics, optoelectronics, and thermal barrier coating applications.

Thermodynamic insights of ternary compounds of NiO - V2O5 system

We present the first experimental investigation on thermochemical stability of three ternary nickel vanadates, namely, NiV2O6(s), Ni2V2O7(s) and Ni3V2O8(s) in the NiO-V2O5 system. The standard molar entropies of formation of the compounds were determined by low temperature heat capacity measurements from 2 to 300 K using relaxation calorimetry. The standard molar enthalpy of formation and molar heat capacities were determined employing high temperature oxide melt solution calorimetry in conjunction with differential scanning calorimetry. Using the experimentally obtained thermochemical data, the standard molar Gibbs energy of formation of these compounds were derived and the corresponding expressions are given as follows:∆Gf,m°<NiV2O6>±1.4kJmol−1=−1839.4+0.5132(T/K)(T:298.15−1000K)∆Gf,m°<Ni2V2O7>±1.4kJmol−1=−2101.8+0.5971(T/K)(T:298.15−1000K)∆Gf,m°<Ni3V2O8>±3.2kJmol−1=−2360.5+0.6538(T/K)(T:298.15−1000K)

Manipulating cationic ordering toward highly efficient and zero-thermal-quenching cyan photoluminescence

Developing effective design principle in crystalline materials for superior optical properties remains a critical challenge. Herein, we establish the cationic ordering strategy to build rigid framework and significantly improve phosphor performance. As a proof of concept, the NaHf2-xYx(PO4)3:Eu2+ (x = 0.05–0.2) phosphor series is constructed, which possesses absolutely cationic ordered structure and the linked outstanding photoluminescent properties. Structurally, heterovalent substitution in the lattice maintains the single-site occupancy of Na+ ions in NaHf2-xYx(PO4)3:Eu2+, as confirmed by Rietveld refinements and NMR spectroscopy. This cationic arrangement keeps the cation/vacancy ordered distribution that ensures high structural rigidity, with Debye temperature, as the indicator of rigidity, extracted from low temperature heat capacities exceeding 379 K. The resultant high structural rigidity, coupled with intrinsic defects, induces zero-thermal-quenching luminescence up to 150 °C. Moreover, the substitution of Y3+ at Hf4+ site facilitates effective Eu3+ to Eu2+ reduction, making them excellent cyan emitters with quantum efficiency exceeding 90 % and intense violet absorption. This work provides an impetus for the discovery of the currently state-of-the-art cyan phosphors for practical applications and gives insight into the structural factors influencing luminescent properties.

THz spectroscopy on the amino acids L-serine and L-cysteine.

We present a detailed study on the temperature-dependent THz spectra of the polycrystalline amino acids, L-serine and L-cysteine, for wavenumbers from 20 to 120cm-1 and temperatures from 4 to 300K. Even though the structure of these two amino acids is very similar, with a sulfur atom in the side chain of cysteine instead of an oxygen atom in serine, the excitation spectra are drastically different. Obviously, the vibrational dynamics strongly depend on the ability of cysteine to form sulfur-hydrogen bonds. In addition, cysteine undergoes an order-disorder type phase transition close to 80K, documented by additional specific heat experiments, with accompanying anomalies in the THz results. On increasing temperatures, well-defined vibrational excitations exhibit significant shifts in the eigenfrequencies with concomitant line-broadening yielding partly overlapping modes. Interestingly, several modes completely lose all their dipolar strength and are unobservable under ambient conditions. Comparing the recent results to the published work utilizing THz, Raman, and neutron-scattering techniques, as well as with abinitio simulations, we aim at a consistent analysis of the results ascribing certain eigenfrequencies to distinct collective lattice modes. We document that THz spectra can be used to fine-tune the parameters of model calculations and as fingerprint properties of certain amino acids. In addition, we analyzed the low-temperature heat capacity of both the compounds and detected strong excess contributions compared to the canonical Debye behavior of crystalline solids, indicating soft excitations and a strongly enhanced phonon-density of states at low frequencies.

Noncentrosymmetric Triangular Magnet CaMnTeO6: Strong Quantum Fluctuations and Role of s0 versus s2 Electronic States in Competing Exchange Interactions.

Noncentrosymmetric triangular magnets offer a unique platform for realizing strong quantum fluctuations. However, designing these quantum materials remains an open challenge attributable to a knowledge gap in the tunability of competing exchange interactions at the atomic level. Here, a new noncentrosymmetric triangular S=3/2 magnet CaMnTeO6 is created based on careful chemical and physical considerations. The model material displays competing magnetic interactions and features nonlinear optical responses with the capability of generating coherent photons. The incommensurate magnetic ground state of CaMnTeO6 with an unusually large spin rotation angle of 127°(1) indicates that the anisotropic interlayer exchange is strong and competing with the isotropic interlayer Heisenberg interaction. The moment of 1.39(1)µB, extracted from low-temperature heat capacity and neutron diffraction measurements, is only 46% of the expected value of the static moment 3µB. This reduction indicates the presence of strong quantum fluctuations in the half-integer spin S=3/2 CaMnTeO6 magnet, which is rare. By comparing the spin-polarized band structure, chemical bonding, and physical properties of AMnTeO6 (A=Ca, Sr, Pb), how quantum-chemical interpretation can illuminate insights into the fundamentals of magnetic exchange interactions, providing a powerful tool for modulating spin dynamics with atomically precise control is demonstrated.

Low temperature heat capacities and magnetic properties of anhydrous and hydrated forms of manganous sulfate (MnSO4)

Manganese (II) sulfate (MnSO4), also known as manganous sulfate, has gained attention due to its low temperature magnetic properties. Following a study of its magnetic structure, manganese sulfate was proposed as being the first orthorhombic compound to have a spiral magnetic structure. It was predicted to have a three-step magnetic transition at low temperatures, which neutron diffraction studies have since confirmed. This work represents the first time that heat capacity data has been collected on MnSO4 and MnSO4 0.984(H2O) at low temperatures, which we report from 1.8 K to 300 K and comment on the presentation of the magnetic transition in the low temperature heat capacity region. Previous studies report the heat capacity of the anhydrous form above 50 K, and the data collected herein is compared with those previously published results. Theoretical fits of the heat capacity data are used to calculate the smoothed thermodynamic data, including Cp,m°, Δ0TSm°, Δ0THm°, andΦm°.

Design and construction of a refrigerator-cooled adiabatic calorimeter for heat capacity measurement in liquid helium temperature region.

Heat capacity is a fundamental thermodynamic property of a substance. Although heat capacity values and related thermodynamic functions are available for many materials, low-temperature heat capacity measurements, especially for novel materials, can still provide valuable insights for research in physics, chemistry, thermodynamics, and other fields. Reliable low-temperature heat capacity data are typically measured using classical adiabatic calorimeters, which use liquid helium as the refrigerant to provide a cryogenic environment for heat capacity measurements. However, liquid helium is not only expensive but also not easy to obtain, which greatly limits the application of adiabatic calorimetry. In this work, an accurate adiabatic calorimeter equipped with a Gifford-MacMahon refrigerator was designed and constructed for measuring the heat capacity of condensed matter in the temperature range from 4 to 100K. The Gifford-MacMahon refrigerator was utilized to provide a stable liquid helium-free cryogenic environment. A simple mechanical thermal switch assembly was designed to facilitate switching between the refrigeration mode and the adiabatic measurement mode of the calorimeter. Based on the measurement results of standard reference materials, the optimized repeatability and accuracy of heat capacity measurements were determined to be within 0.8% and 1.5%, respectively. The heat capacity of α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles was also investigated with this device. Furthermore, this adiabatic calorimeter only requires electricity to operate in the liquid helium temperature range, which may significantly advance the research on low-temperature heat capacity based on adiabatic calorimetry.

Thermodynamic mixing properties of disordered alkali feldspar solid-solution from Na–K partitioning and low-temperature calorimetry

The equilibrium partitioning of Na and K between alkali feldspar and NaCl–KCl salt melt was determined at 800 ∘\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$^\\circ$$\\end{document}C, 850 ∘\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$^\\circ$$\\end{document}C, 900 ∘\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$^\\circ$$\\end{document}C, 950 ∘\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$^\\circ$$\\end{document}C and 1000 ∘\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$^\\circ$$\\end{document}C and close to ambient pressure. Four different natural gem-quality alkali feldspars with low degree of Al–Si ordering covering the range from orthoclase to high sanidine and with slightly different minor element concentrations were used as starting materials. The partitioning curves obtained for the four feldspars are indistinguishable indicating that Na–K partitioning independent of the differences of Al–Si ordering state and minor element concentrations existing amongst these feldspars. A sub-regular two parameter Margules type solution model was fitted to the partitioning data, and the excess Gibbs energy describing the thermodynamic non-ideality of the alkali feldspar solid-solution and the respective Margules parameters WgK\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$W_{\ ext {g}\ ext {K}}$$\\end{document} and Wg\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$W_{\ ext {g}\ ext {Na}}$$\\end{document} including their temperature dependence expressed as Wg=Wh-TWs\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$W_g=W_h-TW_s$$\\end{document} were determined: WgK=19754±3140J·mol-1-T·2.33±2.67J·mol-1·K-1Wg=14916±4272J·mol-1-T·3.55±3.64J·mol-1·K-1\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\begin{aligned} W_{\ ext {g}\ ext {K}}&= 19754 \\pm 3140 J\\cdot \\,\\,{\\hbox {mol}}\\,\\,^{-1} - T \\cdot 2.33 \\pm 2.67 J\\cdot \\,\\,{\\hbox {mol}}\\,\\,^{-1}\\cdot K^{-1} \\\\ W_{\ ext {g}\ ext {Na}}&= 14916 \\pm 4272 J\\cdot \\,\\,{\\hbox {mol}}\\,\\,^{-1} - T \\cdot 3.55 \\pm 3.64 J\\cdot {\\hbox {mol}}\\,\\,^{-1}\\cdot K^{-1} \\\\ \\end{aligned}$$\\end{document}The corresponding solvus has a critical temperature slightly above 650 ∘\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$^\\circ$$\\end{document}C and is well comparable with earlier direct experimental determinations of the low-sanidine-albite solvus curve. Comparison of the vibrational excess entropy determined from low-temperature heat capacity measurements with the total excess entropy derived from the temperature dependence of the excess Gibbs energy yields a negative configurational contribution to the excess entropy pointing towards short-range Na–K ordering on the alkali site.

Thermal and magnetoelastic properties of the van der Waals ferromagnet Fe3−δGeTe2 : Anisotropic spontaneous magnetostriction and ferromagnetic magnon excitations

By determining the lattice parameters as a function of temperature of the hexagonal van der Waals ferromagnet Fe2.92(1)Ge1.02(3)Te2 we obtain the temperature dependence of the spontaneous in-plane magnetostriction in the ferromagnetic and the linear thermal expansion coefficients in the paramagnetic state. The spontaneous magnetostriction is clearly seen in the temperature dependence of the in-plane lattice parameter a(T), but less well pronounced perpendicular to the planes along c. Below TC the spontaneous magnetostriction follows a power law M(T)3/2 of the magnetization and leads to an expansion of the hexagonal layers. Extrapolating to T→ 0 K we obtain a spontaneous in-plane saturation magnetostriction of λsp,a(T→0)≈−220×10−6. In the paramagnetic state the linear thermal expansion coefficients amount to 13.9(1)×10−6K−1 and to 23.2(2)×10−6K−1 for the in-plane and out-of-plane direction, respectively, indicating a linear volume thermal expansion coefficient of 50.8(4)×10−6K−1 which we use to estimate the volume thermal expansion contribution to the heat capacity determined at constant pressure. A Sommerfeld-type linear term in the low-temperature heat capacities can be quantitatively ascribed to two-dimensional (2D) ferromagnetic magnon excitations. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Extreme rejuvenation of a bulk metallic glass at the nanoscale by swift heavy ion irradiation

Swift heavy ions can be used as a tool to tune material properties by generating high aspect ratio, nanometric trails of defects, or new disordered phases. This work explores different aspects of using this tool for rejuvenating and enhancing plasticity in bulk metallic glasses. An amorphous alloy with a nominal composition of Pd40Ni40P20 was irradiated with GeV-accelerated Au ions. Irradiation-induced out-of-plane swelling steps up to approximately 100 nm in height are measured at the boundary between irradiated and non-irradiated areas. Changes of the relaxation enthalpy have been investigated using differential scanning calorimetry. Low-temperature heat capacity measurements substantiate an irradiation-induced increase of the boson peak height with increasing fluences. Accompanying transport measurements using radioactive Ag atoms as tracer also revealed increased diffusion rates in the irradiated samples dependent on the total fluence. Nano-indentation measurements show enhanced plasticity in the ion-irradiated glass which can be correlated with an increased heterogeneity as indicated by variable resolution fluctuation electron microscopy. The whole volume of the derived data substantiates a prominent enhancement of the excess volume in the solidified ion tracks and the irradiation-induced modifications are discussed and analyzed in the framework of strong glass rejuvenation within the nanometric ion tracks.