Fe-based bulk metallic glass with unprecedented plasticity at room temperature

Fe-based bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) have attracted significant attention due to their excellent soft magnetic properties and ultrahigh strength, but their brittleness limits their applications. Here, we report a Fe74Mo6P13C7 BMG with a diameter of 1.0 mm, which can be bent without fracturing and exhibits unprecedented plasticity (similar to 25%) at room temperature. We propose here the clusters in that Fe74Mo6P13C7 BMG are mainly linked by metal-metal bonds and account for the observed plasticity. This work demonstrates that the plasticity of Fe-based BMGs can be designed and improved obviously, and it opens up a possible pathway for manufacturing dispersion-strengthened glasses with high strength and/or plasticity.

Automated summary

Fe-based bulk metallic glasses (BMG) with excellent soft magnetic properties and ultrahigh strength have been reported in this study, showing unprecedented plasticity at room temperature. The presence of metal-metal bonds in Fe74Mo6P13C7 BMG clusters contributes to the observed plasticity, suggesting a potential pathway for manufacturing dispersion-strengthened glasses with high strength and/or plasticity.