A study of Ni-based refractory alloys via anomalous scattering techniques

Anomalous x-ray scattering methods provided means to probe the local interactions of specific chemical pairs in a Ni–Nb–Sn sequence. Data near and far from the absorption edges of individual constituent atoms were obtained to calculate differential distribution functions, revealing the atomic arrangements. The compositional fluctuations throughout a typical Ni60Nb40−xSnyNi60Nb40−xSny sample is described as alternating Ni-rich and Nb-rich clusters of ∼ 25 Å∼25Å dimensions. This nonrandom distribution of atomic species may partially explain the failure of previous modeling efforts of bulk metallic glasses to explain their mechanical behavior and thermal stability.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/87755/2/074906_1.pd