Tracer measurements of atomic diffusion inside shear bands of a bulk metallic glass

Atomic diffusion in deformed Pd(40)Ni(40)P(20) bulk metallic glass containing a single family of deformation-induced shear bands was measured by the radiotracer technique. The significant, by orders of magnitude, enhancement of the diffusion rate with respect to that in the untransformed matrix suggests that the shear bands represent short-circuit diffusion paths. Correlations between diffusivity, viscosity, and the excess free volume distribution inside of shear bands are discussed.