Thermal and plastic behavior of nanoglasses

The mechanical and thermal behavior of nanoglasses (NGs) were studied with a focus on the effect of the microstructure. The thermal expansion was measured to track changes in excess free volume during heating. It was found that the excess free volume, which is initially more dominant in the interphase region between the denser amorphous particles, is partially lost as well as redistributed during annealing. This relaxation during heating causes the nanoglass to behave like a melt-spun ribbon after heating while remaining amorphous. Nanomechanical tests were used to probe the local incipient plasticity and the influence of the interphase region. This interphase appears to affect the mechanical response of the NGs by inhibiting the propagation of shear bands and thus offers a novel approach for the introduction of plasticity in bulk metallic glasses. The results suggest that the NGs consist of two distinct amorphous phases with different glass transition temperatures.