Understanding the atomic structure of shear bands in metallic glass using a newly developed STEM diffraction technique: RDF imaging

• Applicant: Dr. Xiaoke Mu, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Mechanical Properties of Metallic Materials and their Microstructural Origins
• Term: from 2018 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 394558024

Within the proposed project, we plan to provide the first direct experimental verification of the atomic-structure in shear bands of bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) and compare them with the parent matrix by using radial distribution function imaging (RDFI). The structural investigation will focus on the short- and medium range atomic order in terms of bond length, bond angle and coordination number and their variation in individual shear bands. The corresponding changes in atomic density, topological and chemical order will be compared to theoretical simulations and other indirect experimental observations. The results will be key information to understand the processes during shear band formation and create a starting point to correlate the structure and mechanical properties of BMGs. The principle method enabling a detailed local structural analysis of amorphous phase will be further improved and extended to characterize individual shear bands and variations in heterogeneous glassy materials.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: China
• Cooperation Partners: Professor Dr. Karsten Albe; Professor Tao Feng, Ph.D.; Professorin Dr. Ruth Schwaiger