Tailoring the mechanical properties of bulk metallic glasses via cooling from the supercooled liquid region

Structural rejuvenation is vital and attractive for modulating the energetic state and structural heterogeneity of bulk metallic glasses (BMGs). In this paper, we show that cooling a BMG from a supercooled liquid region at laboratory rates can reverse the relaxation enthalpy lost during the preceding structural relaxation. Increasing the cooling rate is beneficial for enhancing atomic mobility and dynamic mechanical relaxation intensity. Therefore, this rejuvenation methodology promotes tailoring the mechanical properties of BMGs and provides a comprehensive understanding of the rejuvenation mechanism.

Automated summary

In this paper, it is demonstrated that cooling a BMG from the supercooled liquid region at laboratory rates can reverse the relaxation enthalpy lost during the preceding structural relaxation. Increasing the cooling rate enhances atomic mobility and dynamic mechanical relaxation intensity. This rejuvenation methodology facilitates tailoring the mechanical properties of BMGs and provides a comprehensive understanding of the rejuvenation mechanism.