Plastic heterogeneity in nanoscale metallic glass

Elongation of CuZr metallic amorphous nanorods at a low strain rate has been examined by molecular dynamics methods. Results indicate that nanoscale metallic glasses (NMGs) show non-brittle fracture and plastic heterogeneity. In addition, the size effect has been carefully investigated via the NMG samples with different diameters. Meanwhile, the fluctuation of the stress and structure during the elongation provides reliable evidences to explain why plastic heterogeneity exists in the NMGs. Our results suggest that the mechanical properties of NMGs would be closely related to the size effect and heterogeneity in NMG samples.