Fig. 5: Illustration on the dynamic rejuvenation of bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) driven by the electron-scattering force in electromigration. | Communications Materials

Fig. 5: Illustration on the dynamic rejuvenation of bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) driven by the electron-scattering force in electromigration.

From: Expanding the homogeneous regime of deformation in bulk metallic glass by electromigration-induced rejuvenation

Fig. 5

a Randomly distributed densely packed regions which contain less free volume (red spheres), and loosely packed regions which contain more free volume (white spheres), for the existence of free volume in BMGs. b Under external loading, the atoms in soft loosely packed regions develop into shear transformation zones (STZs) to carry plastic deformation by participating in shear transformation, while the atoms in strong densely packed regions act as an elastic matrix and confine the STZs. The atoms in densely packed regions do not participate in shear transformation, and do not contribute to plastic deformation. c Atomic diffusion promoted by the electron-scattering force along the direction of electron transport in electromigration, where the more densely packed atoms suffer a larger force. This atomic diffusion is virtually the free volume-based flow mechanism of BMGs. d The electron-scattering force preferentially drives the atoms in the strong densely packed regions, which confine STZs to participate in shear transformation and contribute to plastic deformation, i.e. creates bond-switching events, thus promoting homogeneously distributed deformation.

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