Hardened core of bilayer shear bands in a Zr-based metallic glass

Bilayer shear bands with a spacing of hundreds of nanometers were prepared in a Zr-based metallic glass. Elastic properties of the bands were detected using a contact-resonance atomic force microscope. Compare with an elastic modulus reduction in each single shear band, the core of the bilayer shear bands is hardened. One possible reason for the forming of the bilayer shear bands is the load releasing and position adjustment during the severe plastic deformation process. Our results reveal a new plastic deformation mechanism of the shear bands in the form of layer by layer, and provide a promising strategy to control the stability of shear bands and enhance the plasticity of metallic glasses. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

In this study, bilayer shear bands with a spacing of hundreds of nanometers were prepared in a Zr-based metallic glass. The elastic properties of the bilayer shear bands were detected using a contact-resonance atomic force microscope. Compared with single shear bands, the core of the bilayer shear bands showed hardening, possibly due to load releasing and position adjustment during severe plastic deformation. This research reveals a new plastic deformation mechanism in the form of layer by layer, offering a promising strategy to control shear bands' stability and enhance the plasticity of metallic glasses.