Metallic glass nanostructures of tunable shape and composition

Area of Science:

• Materials Science and Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Alloy Design

Background:

• Metallic glasses and hybrid nano-/microstructures are crucial for technology.
• Controlling nanoscale shape and composition in multicomponent alloys, like metallic glasses, is difficult.
• Existing top-down nanomolding techniques are limited to few alloy systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a versatile method for synthesizing metallic glass nanoarchitectures.
• To enable precise control over size, shape, and composition of complex alloys at the nanoscale.
• To facilitate the optimization of metallic glass nanostructures for technological applications and fundamental research.

Main Methods:

• Utilized multitarget carousel oblique angle deposition.
• Applied a facile synthesis strategy for metallic glass nanoarchitectures.
• Achieved wafer-scale fabrication of nanostructures.

Main Results:

• Successfully synthesized metallic glass nanoarchitectures applicable to a broad range of alloys.
• Demonstrated control over size, shape, and composition of complex alloys at the nanoscale.
• Produced programmable 3D shapes and tunable compositions in metallic glass nanostructures, including marginal glass formers.

Conclusions:

• The developed method offers a facile and broad approach to metallic glass nanoarchitecture synthesis.
• This technique allows for chemistry optimization and fundamental studies of nanoscale metallic glass properties.
• Programmable, wafer-scale fabrication of diverse metallic glass nanostructures is now achievable.