Partial structure of Pd42.5Ni7.5Cu30P 20 bulk metallic glass: Comparison to the reference Pd 40Ni40P20 glass

Abstract

In order to study local structure around the Pd atoms in Pd 42.5Ni7.5Cu30P20 excellent metallic glass-former, an anomalous X-ray scattering (AXS) experiment was performed at energies close to the Pd K absorption edge. The differential structure factor, ΔPdS(Q), was obtained with a good statistical quality, which demonstrates that a pre-shoulder at about 20 nm-1, indicating the existence of an intermediate-range order, originates from the Pd-Pd atomic correlation. The first peak in the differential pair correlation function, ΔPdg(r), shows a longer inter-atomic length around the Pd atoms than the average value. The local structure is discussed in detail be comparing to the previous experiments of AXS and electronic structure. © 2008 IOP Publishing Ltd.