EXAFS measurements and reverse Monte Carlo modeling of atomic structure in amorphous Ni₈₀P₂₀ alloys

This paper presents a full account of the EXAFS measurements and reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) modeling of the atomic arrangements and short-to-medium range structure in an amorphous Ni-P alloy, expanding on the description included in our recent publication [H.W. Sheng, W.K. Luo, F.M. Alamgir, J.M. Bai, E. Ma, Nature 439 (2006) 419]. The atomic packing is analyzed from the standpoint of solute atoms. The short-to-medium range structure is discussed based on single-solute-centered quasi-equivalent clusters that form due to strong chemical short-range ordering, and the topological order is described in terms of both intra-cluster and inter-cluster dense packing for efficient filling of space. This analysis is also conducted for amorphous Ni₈₀P₂₀ prepared via different processing routes, to observe if the polyamorphism suggested in literature for amorphous Ni-P can be confirmed from the local structure perspective. The structural differences between the proposed polymorphs are apparently subtle and a full resolution of this issue is found to be beyond the capabilities of our EXAFS/RMC modeling approach. The amorphous structural features uncovered are also compared briefly with those observed before in amorphous alloy systems with positive heat of mixing.