Effect of pressure on magnetoelastic coupling in 3d metal alloys studied with x-ray absorption spectroscopy

Shear-band affected zone revealed by magnetic domains in a ferromagnetic metallic glass

Plastic deformation of metallic glasses (MGs) has long been considered to be confined to nanoscale shear bands, but recently an affected zone around the shear band was found. Yet, due to technical limitations, the shear-band affected zone (SBAZ), which is critical for understanding shear banding and design of ductile MGs, has yet to be precisely identified. Here, by using magnetic domains as a probe with sufficiently high sensitivity and spatial resolution, we unveil the structure of SBAZs in detail. We demonstrate that shear banding is accompanied by a micrometer-scale SBAZ with a gradient in the strain field, and multiple shear bands interact through the superimposition of SBAZs. There also exists an ultra-long-range gradual elastic stress field extending hundreds of micrometers away from the shear band. Our findings provide a comprehensive picture on shear banding and are important for elucidating the micro-mechanisms of plastic deformation in glasses.

Metallic glasses deform along nanoscale shear bands, and while it is known that they affect the neighboring glass regions, exactly how is unclear. Here, the authors use magnetic force microscopy to atomically resolve the shear-band affected zone and show its effects extends much further than previously thought.

Thermal and magnetic anomalies of α-iron: an exploration by extended x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy and synchrotron x-ray diffraction

The local structure and dynamics of α-iron have been investigated by extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction (XRD) in order to shed light on some thermal and magnetic anomalies observed in the last decades. The quantitative EXAFS analysis of the first two coordination shells reveals a peculiar local vibrational dynamics of α-iron: the second neighbor distance exhibits anharmonicity and vibrational anisotropy larger than the first neighbor distance. We search for possible distortions of the bcc structure to justify the unexplained magnetostriction anomalies of α-iron and provide a value for the maximum dislocation of the central Fe atom. No thermal anomalies have been detected from the current XRD data. On the contrary, an intriguing thermal anomaly at about 150 K, ascribed to a stiffening of the Fe-Fe bonds, was found by EXAFS.

The measurement of differential EXAFS modulated by high pressure

Differential EXAFS (DiffEXAFS) is able to detect subtle atomic perturbations in the local area of the absorbing atom. Here a new method of performing DiffEXAFS experiments under the modulation of high pressure has been developed. Periodic pressure was achieved in the gasket with the help of a dynamic diamond anvil cell, and the measurements were conducted in common energy-scanning mode. This technique has been utilized on ZnSe at 4.8 GPa. The present results have demonstrated a good agreement with the equation of state of ZnSe, and revealed sensitivity to atomic displacements of one order higher in magnitude than that of conventional EXAFS.

Nanoprobe measurements of materials at megabar pressures

The use of nanoscale x-ray probes overcomes several key limitations in the study of materials up to multimegabar (> 200) pressures, namely, the spatial resolution of measurements of multiple samples, stress gradients, and crystal domains in micron to submicron size samples in diamond-anvil cells. Mixtures of Fe, Pt, and W were studied up to 282 GPa with 250-600 nm size synchrotron x-ray absorption and diffraction probes. The probes readily resolve signals from individual materials, between sample and gasket, and peak pressures, in contrast to the 5-microm-sized x-ray beams that are now becoming routine. The use of nanoscale x-ray beams also enables single-crystal x-ray diffraction studies in nominally polycrystalline samples at ultrahigh pressures, as demonstrated in measurements of (Mg,Fe)SiO(3) postperovskite. These capabilities have potential for driving a push toward higher maximum pressures and further miniaturization of high-pressure devices, in the process advancing studies at extreme conditions.

High quality x-ray absorption spectroscopy measurements with long energy range at high pressure using diamond anvil cell

We describe an approach for acquiring high quality x-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy spectra with wide energy range at high pressure using diamond anvil cell (DAC). Overcoming the serious interference of diamond Bragg peaks is essential for combining XAFS and DAC techniques in high pressure research, yet an effective method to obtain accurate XAFS spectrum free from DAC induced glitches has been lacking. It was found that these glitches, whose energy positions are very sensitive to the relative orientation between DAC and incident x-ray beam, can be effectively eliminated using an iterative algorithm based on repeated measurements over a small angular range of DAC orientation, e.g., within +/-3 degrees relative to the x-ray beam direction. Demonstration XAFS spectra are reported for rutile-type GeO2 recorded by traditional ambient pressure and high pressure DAC methods, showing similar quality at 440 eV above the absorption edge. Accurate XAFS spectra of GeO2 glass were obtained at high pressure up to 53 GPa, providing important insight into the structural polymorphism of GeO2 glass at high pressure. This method is expected be applicable for in situ XAFS measurements using a diamond anvil cell up to ultrahigh pressures.

Direct measurement of intrinsic atomic scale magnetostriction

Using differential x-ray absorption spectroscopy (DiffXAS) we have measured and quantified the intrinsic, atomic-scale magnetostriction of Fe81Ga19. By exploiting the chemical selectivity of DiffXAS, the Fe and Ga local environments have been assessed individually. The enhanced magnetostriction induced by the addition of Ga to Fe was found to originate from the Ga environment, where lambda;{gamma,2}( approximately (3/2)lambda_{100}) is 390+/-40 ppm. In this environment, 001 Ga-Ga pair defects were found to exist, which mediate the magnetostriction by inducing large strains in the surrounding Ga-Fe bonds. For the first time, intrinsic, chemically selective magnetostrictive strain has been measured and quantified at the atomic level, allowing true comparison with theory.