Melt infiltration casting of HA and metallic glass composite
The first samples of this new metallic glass were relatively small glass rods just a millimeter in diameter.
All the samples were taken from a centimeter-long, extremely thin ribbon of the metallic glass.
Scientists recently used a diamond anvil like this one to squeeze tiny samples of metallic glass.
Unlike familiar window glass, metallic glasses are alloys made of metals-in this case cerium and aluminum.
If you took apart the plastic anti-theft tag on a DVD case, you'd find a thin piece of metallic glass that looks like aluminum foil.
According to Ritchie, "These results mark the first use of a new strategy for metallic glass fabrication and we believe we can use it to make glass that will be even stronger and more tough."
But when scientists squeezed tiny samples of a metallic glass under high pressure, they got a surprise: the atoms lined up in a regular pattern to form a single crystal.
Nano-crystallization of metallic glasses is an effective way to prepare nanocrystalline materials.
