Atomic configuration evaluation of Zr60Ni21Al19 bulk metallic glass under high pressure

The atomic configuration evaluation in Zr60Ni21Al19 bulk metallic glass at high pressures has been revealed by using in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction. The radial distribution function is gained by Fourier transformation. The investigation shows that the amorphous structure is retained and the coordination number keeps 12.0 within the experimental pressures (0–24.5 GPa). The quantitative determination of the neighbor atomic distance suggests that high pressure alters topological but not chemical short range ordering through shortening the second nearest neighbor atomic distance. The atomic coordination is analyzed by the inherent chemical parameters of the ternary Zr60Ni21Al19 amorphous alloy.