Atomic and electronic structures of Zr-(Co,Ni,Cu)-Al metallic glasses

Abstract

The atomic and electronic structures of transition metal-metalloid based Zr60Co(Ni,Cu)28Al12 bulk metallic glasses (MGs) are probed by 27Al nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The magnitude and evolution of 27Al isotropic shifts indicate that the Fermi level moves toward a minimum upon transition metal 3d sub-band filling and provides experimental evidence for pd hybridization bonding mechanism, which is further supported by the observation of Co L23 edges, and the prepeaks near Al L23 and K edges in electron energy loss spectroscopy. This investigation provides insight into the bonding mechanisms in MGs, which are relevant for understanding of their mechanical behaviors.