Recently, an important research breakthrough in the mechanical properties of amorphous alloys by the research team led by Prof. Shen Baolong from the School of Materials
Science and Engineering, SEU, the Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Metallic Materials, and the MOE Key Laboratory of Structure and Thermal Protection for High-Speed
Aircraft, was published inNature Communications. The study, titled "Transformation-mediated and relaxation-assisted macroscopic tensile plasticity with strain-hardening in
metallic glass," reports the first achievement of 10% macroscopic tensile plasticity and strain-hardening effects in an iron-based amorphous soft magnetic alloy. It reveals a
novel strengthening and toughening mechanism mediated by structural transformation-relaxation synergy, offering a new approach to address the challenges of unstable
plastic flow and relaxation-induced embrittlement in amorphous alloys.
Amorphous alloys exhibit outstanding properties, including high strength, a large elastic limit, and corrosion resistance, making them promising for applications in aerospace,
biomedicine, energy equipment, and other fields. Among them, iron-based amorphous alloys also exhibit excellent soft magnetic properties. Developing novel amorphous
alloys with both high strength and toughness, plus superior soft magnetic performance, carries great strategic significance. It will enhance China's independent supply and
industrial competitiveness in key materials for sectors like new energy, information communication, and the low-altitude economy. The team proposed a novel structural
modulation strategy based on controlling the cooling/heating rate during thermal cycling, enabling the formation of multiscale heterogeneous structures under stress. During
tensile deformation, multiple mechanisms work synergistically to significantly enhance plasticity. Moreover, this strategy has demonstrated universality across various
amorphous alloy systems, including Cu-based and Er-based alloys. The research not only deepens the understanding of the plastic deformation mechanisms in amorphous
alloys but also, more than six decades after their discovery, achieves remarkable "strong and tough" tensile properties on a macroscopic scale for the first time, overcoming
the long-standing brittleness bottleneck. This provides a viable pathway for promoting the broader application of amorphous alloys as structural and functional materials.
Hu Fan, the doctoral student in the School of Materials Science and Engineering, SEU, is the sole first author of the paper. Associate Professor Guo Zhijun and Professors
Luo Qiang and Shen Baolong are co-corresponding authors. SEU is the only corresponding institution. The research was supported by the National Natural Science
Foundation of China Key Program and the National Key R&D Program of China.
Paper's link：https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-65120-4
Source: School of Materials Science and Engineering, SEU
Translated by: Melody Zhang
Proofread by: Gao Min
Edited by: Li Xinchang
