Short-range structural signature of excess specific heat and fragility of metallic-glass-forming supercooled liquids

Jun Ding, Yong Qiang Cheng, Hongwei Sheng, Evan Ma

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97 Scopus citations

Abstract

Supercooled metallic liquids exhibit very different temperature (T) dependence of the excess specific heat (ΔC p) and viscosity, profoundly influencing their glass-forming ability. Using two model glass-forming liquids in molecular dynamics simulation, here we demonstrate that their contrasting ΔC p and relaxation/viscosity behavior has an underlying origin in their different T-dependent local structural ordering. Upon undercooling toward glass transition, a particularly stabilizing type of short-range ordering that accelerates with decreasing T leads to a steeply rising ΔC p and higher fragility, whereas local motifs that merely respond to the densification of the liquids result in a weak T dependence of ΔC p.

Original languageEnglish
Article number060201
JournalPhysical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics
Volume85
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 13 2012
Externally publishedYes

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