Temperature dependence of positron annihilation in a Zr–Ti–Ni–Cu–Be bulk metallic glass

A strong temperature dependence of positron annihilation with low-momentum electrons is reported for a Zr-based bulk metallic glass in the temperature range 50–300 K. The observed behavior was rationalized in terms of shallow versus deep positron traps. An interpretation of the data was presented based on the idea that there were two different types of open-volume regions: Bernal interstitial sites and thermally unstable larger holes. Bernal interstitial sites, intrinsic to the glass structure, were found to be insensitive to annealing. Alternatively, the larger holes were removed by annealing. The strong correlation between these larger holes and diffusion and viscous flow processes suggests that they may act as diffusion and flow defects.