Study of pressure induced polyamorphic transition in Ce-based ternary BMG using in situ x-ray scattering and electrical conductivity measurement

Abstract:

In situ high energy x-ray scattering and electrical conductivity measurements on Ce70Al10Cu20 bulk metallic glass have been conducted using a diamond anvil cell (DAC) in conjunction with synchrotron x-rays or a laboratory electrical measurement system. The relative volumetric change (V/V₀) as a function of pressure is inferred using the first sharp diffraction peak (FSDP) and the universal fractional noncubic power law^[1]. The result indicates a pressure-induced polyamorphic transition at about 4 GPa in the ternary system. While the observed pressure of such polyamorphic transition in the Ce-base binary BMG is not very sensitive to its composition based on some of the previous studies^{[2, 3]}, this study indicates that such transition pressure increases considerably when a new component is added to the system. In the electrical conductivity measurement, a significant resistance change was observed in the pressure range coupled to polyamorphic transition. More discussions will be given regarding the electrical conductivity behavior of this system under high pressure to illustrate the delocalization of 4f electrons as the origin of the observed polyamorphic transition.

References:

1. Zeng Q, Kono Y, Lin Y, Zeng Z, Wang J, Sinogeikin SV, Park C, Meng Y, Yang W, Mao H-K (2014) Universal fractional noncubic power law for density of metallic glasses. Physical Review Letters 112: 185502-185502

2. Zeng Q-S, Ding Y, Mao WL, Yang W, Sinogeikin SV, Shu J, Mao H-K, Jiang JZ (2010) Origin of pressure-induced polyamorphism in Ce75Al25 metallic glass. Physical Review Letters 104: 105702-105702

3. Sheng HW, Liu HZ, Cheng YQ, Wen J, Lee PL, Luo WK, Shastri SD, Ma E (2007) Polyamorphism in a metallic glass. Nature Materials  DOI: 10.1038/nmat1839.