Mechanical properties of bulk metallic glasses at cryogenic temperatures

Metallic glasses (amorphous alloys) consist of atomic clusters, interconnecting zones and free volume. The atomic clusters are connected together, resulting in the formation of a rigid skeleton through the interconnecting zones. Some metallic glasses even contain crystalline structures at the nanoscale. Even though there is supposed to be no structural change at temperatures below the glass transition temperature, metallic glasses exhibit different mechanical behaviors at cryogenic temperatures. Contrary to crystalline materials, the strength and ductility of some metallic glasses and their composites both show a significant increase with decreasing temperature in the cryogenic temperature range. This paper briefly reviews these phenomena. © 2009 World Scientific Publishing Company.