Synergistic improvement of specific strength and plasticity achieved in Ti-based metallic glass designed based on quasicrystal structure

TL;DR

This study demonstrates a novel Ti-based metallic glass with record-high specific strength and improved plasticity by leveraging quasicrystal-inspired structures and microalloying, overcoming traditional trade-offs.

Contribution

Introducing a quasicrystal-derived design and microalloying approach to simultaneously enhance strength and ductility in Ti-based BMGs.

Findings

Achieved a record specific strength of 5.34×10^5 N·m·kg^{-1}.

Demonstrated a plastic strain of 13%.

Provided insights into composition design for lightweight structural materials.

Abstract

Achieving a balance between low density, high strength, and good ductility remains a major challenge in the development of structural materials. Ti-based bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) have attracted considerable attention due to their exceptionally high specific strength. However, the intrinsic strength-plasticity trade-off has hindered their practical applications. Based on a quasicrystal-derived structural heredity and minor-element microalloying, this work realizes a synergistic enhancement of specific strength and plasticity in Ti-based BMGs. The resulting ((Ti_{40}Zr_{40}Ni_{20})_{72}Be_{28})_{97}Al_{3} BMGs demonstrate an ultrahigh specific strength of 5.34 \times 10^5 \text{ N}\cdot\text{m}\cdot\text{kg}^{-1}, establishing a new record for Ti-based BMGs, along with a plastic strain of 13\%, breaking through the traditional strength-plasticity limitation of BMGs. Structural analyses show that Al microalloying effectively inherits and modulates the short-range order derived from quasicrystalline structures, thereby achieving an observed synergistic enhancement in both strength and plasticity. This work provides new insights into composition design and lightweight structural applications of Ti-based BMGs.