Existence of covalent-like bonding in Pd₄₀Cu₂₀Ge₄₀ metallic glass observed by anomalous x-ray scattering

To elucidate the local structure of Pd₄₀Cu₂₀Ge₄₀ metallic glass having curious thermodynamic properties of a low melting point and an extremely small ratio of glass transition-and melting temperatures, anomalous x-ray scattering experiments were performed close to the Pd, Cu, and Ge K edges. The results were analyzed using reverse Monte Carlo modeling to obtain partial structure factors and pair correlation functions. Covalent-like bondings between the Pd and Ge atoms are realized in this metallic glass, which may be related to the thermodynamic anomalies