Topological characterization of metallic glasses by neutron diffraction and RMC modeling

TbFe2D3.8, TbNi2D2.4, CuZr2 and NiZr2 metallic glasses have been studied to elucidate the structural characteristics by taking advantage of neutron and X-ray diffraction and using the reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) modeling based on the diffraction data. Topologically, about 98% of D atoms occupy tetrahedral sites formed by metal atoms for TbFe2D3.8 and TbNi2D2.4 metallic glasses. The Volonoi analysis of the structure of CuZr2 and NiZr2 metallic glasses was carried out to elucidate the relationship between the stability of glassy state and the atomic configuration. The prismatic-like polyhedra dominate in NiZr2 metallic glass. In contrast, the icosahedron-like polyhedra faces are preferred for constructing the structure of CuZr2 metallic glass.