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Solving the puzzle of eutectic compositions with 'Miracle glasses'

Nature Materials volume 4, pages 2–3 (2005)Cite this article

An Erratum to this article was published on 01 January 2005

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Hume-Rothery and Anderson tried to explain this finding on the basis of the local short-range order (SRO) of the atomic structures in binary liquids by postulating that eutectic compositions are likely to form when interatomic interactions are such that B–B nearest neighbours are avoided. As F. C. Frank5 had already suggested that the SRO in melts had to be different (icosahedral) from that of crystalline phases to allow the observed achievement of significant undercoolings of liquids to below the melting temperature, Hume-Rothery and Anderson suggested that the eutectic liquid structure must consist of icosahedral 1–5–1–5–1 atomic chains, which can be decorated in such a way that they do not have B–B nearest neighbours. However, liquid structures cannot be modelled by non-atom-sharing atomic clusters, which necessarily result in overall alloy compositions that are different from that of individual clusters. Hume-Rothery and Anderson themselves characterized their formulations as “admittedly speculative and incomplete” and to my knowledge the puzzle regarding frequently occurring eutectic compositions has remained unresolved. Although not all eutectic compositions can easily form glasses with rapid cooling, most glass-forming alloys are near eutectic compositions. Thus progress in our understanding of metallic glasses can help us better understand eutectic liquids.

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Figure 1: The frequency of occurrence of binary eutectic compositions versus alloy compositions.
Figure 2: Number of known glassy alloys versus their radius ratios RB/RA showing maxima for whole numbers corresponding to efficient packing of A around B atoms.

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  1. Euronano, LTPCM-CNRS, Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble, BP 75, 38402 St-Martin-d'Hères Campus, France

    A. R. Yavari

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Yavari, A. Solving the puzzle of eutectic compositions with 'Miracle glasses'. Nature Mater 4, 2–3 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat1289

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