Atomic Structure of Cu₄₉Hf₄₂Al₉ Metallic Glass with High Glass-Forming Ability and Plasticity

Electron diffraction was used to study the local atomic structure of Cu₄₉Hf₄₂Al₉ metallic glasses (MGs). The amorphous nature of the MG was fully retained after the compression test. The partial radial distribution functions (PRDFs) of the MG structure obtained from the atomic model using reverse Monte Carlo and density functional theory optimization display that the peaks of the first nearest-neighbour distances for Cu–Cu, Hf–Cu and Hf–Hf atomic pairs were located at 2.56 Å, 2.78 Å and 3.23 Å, respectively. The wide distribution of PRDF for Hf–Hf atomic pair explained the high plasticity of the material.