New Indicator Accelerates Discovery of Metallic Glasses

Researchers have developed a novel indicator to speed up the discovery of metallic glasses. The new method, based on electrical resistivity, allows for rapid screening of alloy compositions that possess high glass-forming ability. This breakthrough was achieved by a research team co-led by Dongwoo Lee, an associate professor at Sungkyunkwan University's School of Mechanical Engineering, and Yanhui Liu from the Institute of Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Metallic glasses, also known as amorphous metals, are materials with a disordered atomic structure similar to that of conventional glasses, but with metallic properties. Their unique characteristics make them promising for various applications, including electronics, biomedical devices, and structural components. However, identifying compositions with superior glass-forming ability has traditionally been a time-consuming and complex process. This new electrical resistivity-based indicator offers a more efficient pathway to identifying promising candidates, potentially leading to faster development and wider adoption of these advanced materials.