title: Hidden electronic rule in the "cluster-plus-glue-atom" model.
abstract: Electrons and their interactions are intrinsic factors to affect the structure and properties of materials. Based on the "cluster-cluster-plus-glue-atom" model, an electron counting rule for complex metallic alloys (CMAs) has been revealed in this work (i. e. the CPGAMEC rule). Our results on the cluster structure and electron concentration of CMAs with apparent cluster features, indicate that the valence electrons' number per unit cluster formula for these CMAs are specific constants of eight-multiples and twelve-multiples. It is thus termed as specific electrons cluster formula. This CPGAMEC rule has been demonstrated as a useful guidance to direct the design of CMAs with desired properties, while its practical applications and underlying mechanism have been illustrated on the basis of CMAs' cluster structural features. Our investigation provides an aggregate picture with intriguing electronic rule and atomic structural features of CMAs.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004, China.
authors.forename: Jinglian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Du
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Materials Modification [Dalian University Technology], Ministry of Education, Dalian 116024, China.
authors.forename: Chuang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: The MS2Discovery Interdisciplinary Research Institute, Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Ave. West, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3C5, Canada.|BCAM-Basque Center for Applied Mathematics, E48009 Bilbao, Spain.
authors.forename: Roderick
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Melnik
authors.affiliation: New Industry Creation Hatchery Center, Tohoku University, 6-6-4 Aramaki-aza-Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8579, Japan.|Institute of Thermophysics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 1, Lavyrentyev Avenue, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia.
authors.forename: Yoshiyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kawazoe
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004, China.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wen