Evolution of structural and dynamic heterogeneities and activation energy distribution of deformation units in metallic glass

We present experimental results on the distribution and evolution of energy barriers of deformation units in metallic glass (MG) via an activation-relaxation method. Our results show that the dynamical heterogeneity of metallic glass arises from its structural inhomogeneity, and there exist the close correlations between the deformation units, dynamical and structural heterogeneities, and relaxation behaviors in metallic glasses. The results might provide insights on the heterogeneities, plastic deformation, and relaxations behaviors of metallic glass. (C) 2013 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4795522]