What is it about?
In 1960, in the modern sanctuary of science from California (California Institute of Technology), an act of inversed ‘‘alchemy’’ was produced: a metal, a gold based alloy was transformed in a glass (. . . a metallic glass). And the philosopher’s stone was the extremely rapid cooling of melted alloy (cca. 106 K/s).
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Why is it important?
Professor Marios Demetriou from Caltech declare for this review paper: ‘‘Owing to their attractive mechanical properties and unique processing capabilities, metallic glasses have the potential to dominate metal-hardware engineering in the 21st century.’’
Perspectives
Hardened bulk metallic glass foam may be very useful as a material for building future spacecraft for long-term space flight. The foams can also be used to build permanent structures on the Moon or Mars. Buildings and spacecraft fuselages made from bulk metallic glass foams can be extremely tough and light at the same time, thereby reducing costs while increasing the protection they provide to explorers. The adventure of BMGs as medical, bio- and environmental friendly materials is just at the beginning. A long way of findings is perspective in this area of crucial importance for human health.
Prof.dr. Eugen Axinte
Universitatea Tehnica Gheorghe Asachi din Iasi
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Metallic glasses from “alchemy” to pure science: Present and future of design, processing and applications of glassy metals, Materials & Design (1980-2015), March 2012, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/j.matdes.2011.09.028.
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