Mechanical behavior of metallic glasses with pressure-promoted thermal rejuvenation

The pressure-promoted thermal rejuvenation is a promising approach for improving the macroscopic plasticity of metallic glasses (MGs). Here, molecular dynamics simulations have been performed to investigate the atomic structure and mechanical behavior of the rejuvenated MGs with pressure-promoted thermal processing. The effects of annealing temperatures and pressures are investigated, with results suggesting that the pressure has a significant influence on the deformation and failure mechanism of the rejuvenated MGs. The MGs can be rejuvenated either by the application of negative pressures with the low annealing temperature, or by the application of positive pressures with the high annealing temperature. Accompanied by the rejuvenation, a transition in failure mode from localized shear banding to homogeneous plastic deformation occurs due to the higher-energy glassy state induced by the thermal-pressure loading process. The present study provides important insights into the atomic-level structures of the rejuvenated MGs, as well as useful guidelines for the design of strong and high plastic MGs.