Linking the pressure dependence of the structure and thermal stability to α- and β-relaxations in metallic glasses

Glasses derive their functional properties from complex relaxation dynamics that remain enigmatic under extreme conditions. Although the temperature dependence of these relaxation processes is well established, their behavior under high-pressure conditions remains poorly understood due to substantial experimental difficulties. In this study, we use cutting-edge experimental techniques to probe the pressure evolution of the relaxation spectrum in a Zr<sub>46.8</sub>Ti<sub>8.2</sub>Cu<sub>7.5</sub>Ni<sub>10</sub>Be<sub>27.5</sub> metallic glass across gigapascal pressure ranges. Our findings reveal two distinct relaxation mechanisms under high pressure: In the β-relaxation regime, compression drives the system with reduced atomic mobility and enhanced structural disorder, without appreciable density changes. Conversely, α-relaxation under pressure promotes density-driven structural ordering that improves thermal stability. Notably, the transition between these regimes occurs at a constant <i>T</i>/<i>T</i><sub>g,P</sub> ratio, independent of applied pressure. These results provide crucial insights for decoupling the competing structural and relaxation contributions to glass stability, establishing a systematic framework for tailoring glass properties through controlled thermomechanical processing.

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Publication Details

Journal
Science Advances
Published
2025-10-03
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adz7406
Citations
6
Primary Topic
Material Dynamics and Properties
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
3.11

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article

Linking the pressure dependence of the structure and thermal stability to α- and β-relaxations in metallic glasses

Fan Yang, Gaël Moiroux, Marco Di Michiel, Daniele Cangialosi et al.
6 citations
Science Advances
Material Dynamics and Properties
3.11
article

Linking the pressure dependence of the structure and thermal stability to α- and β-relaxations in metallic glasses

Fan Yang, Gaël Moiroux, Marco Di Michiel, Daniele Cangialosi, Eloi Pineda, Beatrice Ruta, Antoine Cornet, Jean‐Luc Garden, G. Vaughan, Gastón Garbarino, Jiliang Liu, Fabian Westermeier, Alberto Ronca, Murielle Legendre, Jie Shen, Céline Goujon
article en
6 citations

Abstract

Glasses derive their functional properties from complex relaxation dynamics that remain enigmatic under extreme conditions. Although the temperature dependence of these relaxation processes is well established, their behavior under high-pressure conditions remains poorly understood due to substantial experimental difficulties. In this study, we use cutting-edge experimental techniques to probe the pressure evolution of the relaxation spectrum in a Zr<sub>46.8</sub>Ti<sub>8.2</sub>Cu<sub>7.5</sub>Ni<sub>10</sub>Be<sub>27.5</sub> metallic glass across gigapascal pressure ranges. Our findings reveal two distinct relaxation mechanisms under high pressure: In the β-relaxation regime, compression drives the system with reduced atomic mobility and enhanced structural disorder, without appreciable density changes. Conversely, α-relaxation under pressure promotes density-driven structural ordering that improves thermal stability. Notably, the transition between these regimes occurs at a constant <i>T</i>/<i>T</i><sub>g,P</sub> ratio, independent of applied pressure. These results provide crucial insights for decoupling the competing structural and relaxation contributions to glass stability, establishing a systematic framework for tailoring glass properties through controlled thermomechanical processing.

Science AdvancesVol. 11(40)
Institut polytechnique de Grenoble (FR), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY (DE), European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (FR), Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V. (DLR) (DE), Material Physics Center (ES), Institut Néel (FR), Donostia International Physics Center (ES), Université Grenoble Alpes (FR), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (ES)
European Commission, European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron
Openalex Percentile: Top 8%
Material Dynamics and Properties
3.11
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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