title: Characterization of nanoscale mechanical heterogeneity in a metallic glass by dynamic force microscopy.
abstract: We report nanoscale mechanical heterogeneity of a metallic glass characterized by dynamic force microscopy. Apparent energy dissipation with a variation of ~12%, originating from nonuniform distribution of local viscoelasticity, was observed. The correlation length of the heterogeneity was measured to be ~2.5 nm, consistent with the dimension of shear transformation zones for plastic flow. This study provides the first experimental evidence on the nanoscale viscoelastic heterogeneity in metallic glasses and may fill the gap between atomic models and macroscopic glass properties.
authors.affiliation: WPI Advanced Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577, Japan.
authors.forename: Y H
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakajima
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hirata
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nishi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Chen