Key Takeaways & Executive Findings
- •• Entropy-stabilized glass–glass interfaces (GGIs) in Co–Fe–Ni–Zn–P nanoglasses exhibit reduced excess free volumes compared to glassy grain interiors, enhancing thermodynamic stability. • The high entropy of mixing (1.32R) in the GGI regions stabilizes atomic structures and improves glass-forming ability of the multicomponent nanoglasses. • Nanoindentation and creep tests reveal notable enhancements in both ductility and mechanical strength of Co–Fe–Ni–Zn–P nanoglasses due to entropy-stabilized GGIs. • This work provides a novel strategy for strengthening metallic nanoglasses through GGI engineering, offering an alternative to conventional methods.
Abstract
Although the existence of glass–glass interfaces (GGIs) enables improved ductility of metallic nanoglasses (NGs), the excess free volumes at GGIs would cause the NGs to have a much-reduced mechanical strength. Herein, entropy-stabilized GGIs have been investigated in Co–Fe–Ni–Zn–P NGs, which have a large entropy of mixing (1.32R, where R is the gas constant) and could be in a new glass phase, different from that of glassy grain interiors. Through quantitatively determining the activation energy of glass transition separately for the GGIs and glassy grain interiors, the excess free volumes at GGIs are found to be reduced in comparison with those in the glassy grain interiors. The thermodynamically stable GGIs could be associated with increasing entropy of mixing in the GGI regions, which stabilizes the atomic structures of GGIs and enhances the glass forming ability of Co–Fe–Ni–Zn–P NGs. The influences of entropy-stabilized GGIs on the mechanical properties of Co–Fe–Ni–Zn–P NGs are further investigated by nanoindentation and creep tests under tensile deformation, demonstrating that there are notable enhancements in the ductility and mechanical strength for Co–Fe–Ni–Zn–P NGs. This work contributes to an in-depth understanding on the GGI phase in NGs and offers an alternative method for strengthening NGs through GGI engineering.
1. Introduction
The remarkable mechanical strength offers metallic glasses (MGs) extensive benefits for structural applications [1–3]. However, the intrinsic brittleness of MGs owing to the absence of dislocation defects restricts their structural application [4–5]. Recently, the successful formation of planar defects, i.e., glass–glass interfaces (GGIs), in glassy alloys [6–11] has created a new category of amorphous solids, namely, metallic nanoglasses (NGs). These NGs are comprised of glassy grains interconnected by GGIs [12–16]. It is worth noting that the GGIs [17–28] are responsible for the remarkable enhancements in the ductility of NGs [29–38]. Consequently, the NGs hold promise for overcoming the catastrophic brittle failures generally observed in conventional MGs.
NGs could be synthesized by inert gas condensation [39–42], wherein the formation of GGIs is attained by high-pressure compaction of MGs with nano-sized dimensions. Similarly, the magnetron sputtering [43–45], pulse electrodeposition [46–48], and, to a less extent, severe plastic deformation [49–51] have been devised for manufacturing NGs. Compared with inert gas condensation and other techniques, pulse electrodeposition is more suitable for the industry production as it does not require any expensive instruments. Irrespective of processing methods, NGs exhibit a much lower mechanical strength [52–61] compared to their MG counterparts. For instance, Ritter et al. [62] found that the yielding of NGs occurs at a much lower stress through molecular dynamics simulations. This fact was confirmed by Wang et al. [52] using in-situ tensile tests that the mechanical strength of NGs is reduced. Thus, various strategies [63–67] have been proposed for strengthening NGs. Specifically, some studies [68–72] suggest that compromise between strength and ductility may be achieved in NG/MG/NG nanolaminates, while the mechanical properties of nanolaminates heavily rely on the well-developed sandwich structures, and fabrication of these structures remains challenging.
Generally, the atomic structures of interiors of glassy grains are similar to those of bulk MGs [73]. The viscous GGIs, being less dense, could be in a thermodynamically unstable glass state [62,74], loosely bonding the adjacent glassy grains and notably reducing the mechanical strength of NGs [75–77]. It has been previously established that the multicomponent alloys containing five or more principal elements tend to be thermodynamically stable [78–80], largely due to the high entropy of mixing [81–83]. Similarly, glass phase of GGIs may be stabilized as entropy of mixing in the GGI regions increases, consequently strengthening NGs. However, current knowledge about the atomic structures and physical properties of entropy-stabilized GGIs is limited. In this study, multicomponent Co–Fe–Ni–Zn–P NGs are investigated to address the issues related with entropy-stabilized GGIs. Analyses on the thermodynamic properties of Co–Fe–Ni–Zn–P NGs reveal that t
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Tian Li, Nana Li, Rongxue Luo, Guangping Zheng (2025). Thermodynamic and mechanical properties of Co–Fe–Ni–Zn–P multicomponent metallic nanoglasses: Some insight into the entropy-stabilized glass–glass interfaces. Int. Journal of Minerals, Metallurgy and Materials (矿物冶金与材料学报). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-024-3079-1
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are glass–glass interfaces (GGIs) in metallic nanoglasses?
Glass–glass interfaces are planar defects that form between glassy grains in metallic nanoglasses. They are less dense and can be thermodynamically unstable, but they contribute to enhanced ductility while potentially reducing mechanical strength.
How does entropy stabilization improve the properties of Co–Fe–Ni–Zn–P nanoglasses?
The high entropy of mixing (1.32R) in the GGI regions stabilizes the atomic structures, reduces excess free volumes, and enhances glass-forming ability, leading to improved ductility and mechanical strength.
What methods were used to investigate the mechanical properties of the nanoglasses?
The study employed nanoindentation and creep tests under tensile deformation to evaluate the mechanical properties of Co–Fe–Ni–Zn–P nanoglasses.
What is the significance of this research for metallic nanoglass applications?
This research offers an alternative method for strengthening metallic nanoglasses through GGI engineering, potentially overcoming the strength-ductility trade-off and expanding their structural applications.
What is the main finding regarding excess free volumes at GGIs?
The excess free volumes at entropy-stabilized GGIs are reduced compared to those in glassy grain interiors, contributing to the thermodynamic stability and enhanced mechanical properties of the nanoglasses.
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