Mechanical behavior of micronanoscaled metallic glasses

In this paper, research on the mechanical behavior of micronanoscaled metallic glasses (MGs) is reviewed, with an emphasis on works achieved through in situ transmission electron microscope. It was found that the strength of micronanoscaled MGs has a nonlinear dependence on sample size. Corresponding to the transition of size-dependent strength, the deformation mechanism of MGs changes gradually from brittle to ductile with the critical transition size being affected by strain rate, e-beam irradiation and thermal history of the sample. Besides monotonic loading, the mechanical behaviors of MGs in response to cyclic loadings and fatigue tests are also reviewed.