Local structural fluctuation in Pd–Ni–P bulk metallic glasses examined using nanobeam electron diffraction

Local structural fluctuation in relation to the medium range order (MRO) in a Pd–Ni–P bulk metallic glass was examined using nanobeam electron diffraction (NBED) technique. We found diffraction spots with strong intensities in the NBED patterns taken from any observation sites in the specimen. This indicates a presence of MRO regions densely formed in the specimen. The diffraction spots in NBED were normally dispersed around positions corresponding to the first halo-diffraction ring in selected area diffraction. A low-temperature annealing led to form a nanocrystalline microstructure consisting of unidentified phosphides. In the course of annealing, the MRO structures deduced from the NBED patterns have no structural similarity to the phosphides found in the primary crystallization stage. The MRO structure changes into a similar structure with the primary crystals just before the crystallization. A discussion is made for the MRO structure and its relation to the glass stability and also to the phosphide nucleation in the primary crystallization.