Pressure-induced structural changes in metallic glasses have been of great interest as they are expected to open new ways to synthesize novel materials with unexpected properties. Here, we investigated the effect of simultaneous high-pressure and high-temperature treatment on the structure and properties of a Zr₅₀Cu₄₀Al₁₀ metallic glass by in situ X-ray structure measurement and property analysis of the final material. We found the unusual formation of Cu-rich nanocrystals at high pressure and temperature, accompanied by significant strength and hardness enhancement. Based on reverse Monte Carlo modeling and molecular dynamics simulations, the structure of the metallic glass changed to a densely packed, chemically uniform configuration with high short-range and medium-range ordering at high pressure and temperature. These results show that high-pressure annealing processes provide a new way to improve and control properties without changing their composition.

压力引起的金属玻璃结构变化引起人们极大的兴趣，因为它们有望为合成具有出乎意料特性的新型材料开辟新的途径。在这里，我们研究了高温和高温同时处理对Zr ₅₀ Cu ₄₀ Al ₁₀的组织和性能的影响。金属玻璃通过原位X射线结构测量和最终材料的性能分析。我们发现在高压和高温下会形成异常丰富的富铜纳米晶体，并伴随着明显的强度和硬度增强。基于反向蒙特卡洛建模和分子动力学模拟，金属玻璃的结构在高压和高温下变为具有高短程和中程有序的致密堆积，化学均匀配置。这些结果表明，高压退火工艺提供了一种在不改变其成分的情况下改善和控制性能的新方法。