Amorphous Metal Formation and Crystallization- Coupled Processes in Crystal Nucleation -

摘要

Various explanations have been offered for the tendency of many amorphous metals to form amorphous/nanocrystal composites upon devitrification. We show that coupled nucleation processes are important in many cases, influencing both glass formation and stability. The effects of nanoscale phase separation and a coupling between the stochastic fluxes of interfacial attachment and long-range diffusion during nucleation are discussed. Recent high-energy x-ray and undercooling studies that demonstrate the influence of local and intermediate range order in the liquid/glass on the nucleation barrier for ordered phases are presented as an example of order parameter coupling.