Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 17, 2026
Methods of Ex Situ and In Situ Investigations of Structural Transformations: The Case of Crystallization of Metallic Glasses
Published on: June 7, 2018
Appearance of metastable B2 phase during solidification of Ni50Zr50 alloy: electrostatic levitation and molecular
D G Quirinale1, G E Rustan, S R Wilson
1Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering, Ames Laboratory, Ames, IA 50011, USA. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA.
Abstract:
High-energy x-ray diffraction measurements of undercooled, electrostatically levitated Ni50Zr50 liquid droplets were performed. The observed solidification pathway proceeded through the nucleation and growth of the metastable B2 phase, which persisted for several seconds before the rapid appearance of the stable B33 phase. This sequence is shown to be consistent with predictions from classical nucleation theory using data obtained from molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. A plausible mechanism for the B2-B33 transformation is proposed and investigated through further MD simulations.
