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Updated: Jul 11, 2026

Methods of Ex Situ and In Situ Investigations of Structural Transformations: The Case of Crystallization of Metallic Glasses
Published on: June 7, 2018
Correlation of atomic cluster symmetry and glass-forming ability of metallic glass
Xue Kui Xi1, Li Long Li, Bo Zhang
1Department of Physics and Astronomy and Curriculum in Applied and Materials Sciences, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3255, USA.
Abstract:
Local structures play a crucial role in glass formation and properties. In addition to topological short-range order, the geometric property of site symmetry is another important but less known characteristic of local structures. It is shown that the observed sharp increase of glass forming ability of Ce70-xAl10Cu20Cox upon Co addition is correlated with a dramatic increase of Al site symmetry, as reflected by decreasing quadrupole frequency measured by 27Al NMR. The result is consistent with the structure model of Al-centered icosahedral clusters as the predominant structural building blocks.
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