Cluster distribution entropy in Ti50Cu50 and Ti50Cu45Ni5 metallic glasses

Abstract It remains unclear how a cluster packing pattern affects the glass forming ability of bulk metallic glasses. The topological structures of Ti50Cu50 and Ti50Cu45Ni5 metallic glasses obtained by molecular dynamics simulations are compared to investigate the relation between the atomic structure and glass forming ability. The structural analysis shows that the addition of Ni in Ti50Cu50 alloy can significantly change the topological structure. Cluster distribution entropy is proposed to quantitatively descript the disordered degree of cluster distribution. It is shown that the cluster distribution entropy provides a statistical approach for assessing the microstructures of metallic glasses.