Modulation of β-relaxation by modifying structural configurations in metallic glasses

• The quenching rate effect on the β-relaxation
• The correlation between flow units and the β-relaxation.
• The β-relaxation and the inhomogeneous microstructure of metallic glasses.

β-relaxation and mechanical properties of La-based metallic glasses are investigated by modulation of quenching rate of the MGs. We find that the quenching rate has a remarkable effect on the β-relaxation behaviors and the mechanical properties of the metallic glasses. The β-relaxation shows a strong dependence on the cooling rate of the sample preparation, indicating that there is a correlation between the concentration of the potential flow units and the β-relaxation behaviors. The results imply that the β-relaxation is closely correlated with the inhomogeneous microstructure or the density of the potential flow units in the metallic glasses.