Saw-tooth-like bulk metallic glass structures with greatly enhanced energy-absorption performance

• Saw-tooth-like bulk metallic glass structures were developed.
• The BMG structures demonstrate greatly enhanced energy absorption capacity.
• The deformation modes of the BMG structures are mainly plastic deformation.
• The BMG structures show tunable energy-absorption performance.

In this work, saw-tooth-like bulk metallic glass (BMG) structures were developed, exhibiting greatly enhanced energy-absorption performance as compared with existing cellular metals, such as conventional metal foams and BMG foams/honeycombs. The excellent energy absorption capacity is attributed to the change of the deformation modes from bending, buckling and collapse of the structural units in conventional cellular solids to large plastic deformation in the present BMG structures. Additionally, the energy absorption capacity of designed saw-tooth-like BMG structures can also be tuned by tailoring the periodic distribution of the structural units.

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