Zr-based bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) exhibit extremely interesting mechanical properties such as superior strength (~2 GPa), high elastic strain limit (~2%), relatively low Young’s modulus (50–100 GPa), high impact and fracture toughness, high corrosion resistance, excellent formability in the supercooled liquid region, wear resistance and biocompatibility [1]. Because of these unique properties Zr-based BMGs are emerging as a new class of metallic materials for biomedical, structural, and functional use.
Indentation techniques are used in many scientific fields ranging from biology to materials science and nowadays, they are at the heart of material nanoscience. In recent years the use of synchrotron radiation (SR) was increasing, and many diffraction techniques appears to be more desirable [2]. High-energy X-ray diffraction provides an effective method to observe the changes at the atomic level caused by mechanical treatment. Therefore, high-energy X-ray diffraction can be used to map the strain fields around an indent. Correlating the mechanical properties with the structure on the atomic and mesoscopic scale is a topic that promises a deeper understanding of the relevant processes during deformation. While the physics in crystalline materials is understood by large, the situation in case of amorphous solids is not advanced yet. Therefore, the connection of an indentation and diffraction gives a powerful tool for the delineation of composition-structure-property relationships and hence for material discovery and optimization.
In this contribution we present mapping of strain fields of indented Zr-based BMG using high-energy micro-diffraction technique. High-resolution spatially resolved scans in the vicinity of indents were done both ex-situ and in-situ.