Unusual energy–structure–property relation in a metallic glass coupled with temperature-dependent relaxation memories

Elucidating the individual effects of high- and low-temperature relaxations on the internal structure and material properties is a fascinating theme in the field of metallic glasses because it can lay the foundation for an advanced glass-property tuning scheme through the control of different types of relaxations. In this study, several glass models were constructed using melt-quenching (MQ) processes, in which high- and low-temperature relaxations were controlled by their cooling rates. We found unusual energy–structure–property relationships; even when the glass alloys had equivalent potential energies (or free volumes), they exhibited different local-order development, elastic stiffness, and plastic deformation properties, which depended on the thermal histories in the glass-forming MQ process. The local-order development was primarily affected by the high-temperature relaxation occurring at approximately the glass transition temperature. Meanwhile, the plastic deformation behavior of the metallic glasses was significantly affected by both low- and high-temperature relaxations. We also found an interesting relaxation memory effect in the glass alloys constructed by the present MQ processes; the glass alloys exhibited an atomic-scale dynamic that was affected by the temperature-dependent relaxation memories (i.e., high and-low-temperature relaxation memories) of previous MQ processes. These results provide new insights into the relaxation physics of glass-forming liquids and imply the possibility of an advanced tuning scheme for metallic glasses.