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From glass to metallic glass: What are the multiple faces of amorphous materials?
Amorphous materials, especially glasses and their derivatives, play a key role in modern physics and materials science. The unique structures and properties of these materials not only impact our daily lives, but also advance the scientific community's understanding of the physical properties of matter. From commercial products to advanced technologies, the range of applications for these amorphous solids is fascinating.
Basic properties of amorphous solids
Amorphous solids are solids that lack long-range order. Compared with crystalline materials, amorphous materials have no regular repeating pattern of atomic arrangements, which causes them to exhibit different properties at the microscopic level.
The internal structure of these materials consists of molecular-scale building blocks that are similar to the basic building blocks of the crystal phase of the same compound, but they lack long-range order.
Thermodynamic challenges of glass transition
Another important property of amorphous solids is their "glass transition." This phenomenon involves the transition from a liquid state to an amorphous solid. This is considered a crucial yet unsolved problem in physics because it involves the complex interplay between molecular dynamics and structural changes.
Especially at extremely low temperatures below 1-10 K, amorphous materials exhibit various similar low-temperature properties, which still puzzles scientists today.
Structural characteristics of amorphous materials
Although amorphous solids do not possess long-range order, they do exhibit some degree of local order on small scales. This allows the structure of amorphous materials to be described using statistical methods, such as atomic density functions and radial distribution functions.
Evolution of characterization technology
Due to the lack of long-range order, structural characterization of amorphous materials often requires diverse techniques that differ from standard crystal structure methods. The development of advanced techniques such as resonance scattering and X-ray absorption spectroscopy has allowed scientists to gain a deeper understanding of the structure of amorphous materials.
For example, X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy provides important information about the environment around atoms, helping scientists reveal the microstructure of amorphous materials.
Diversity of application fields
Amorphous materials have a wide range of applications. From thin films and superconducting materials in computer hardware to certain drugs in the pharmaceutical industry, the characteristics of amorphous materials give them huge application potential. This leaves an urgent need for further exploration of our understanding of amorphous materials in order to better realize their potential.
Applications in technology
In today's technology, amorphous films are widely used for functions such as thermal protection, gas separation, and optical coatings, demonstrating their importance in the fields of materials science and engineering. These films can be used at extremely low temperatures while providing excellent thermal insulation properties.
The wonderful transformation of drugs
In the pharmaceutical industry, some amorphous drugs have higher bioavailability than their crystalline counterparts due to their higher solubility. However, this property also brings challenges, and drug formulations need to be carefully considered to avoid reduced bioavailability.
Conclusion: future research directions
With the advancement of science and technology, we are able to observe and analyze amorphous materials in large quantities at the atomic scale. Although many theoretical and experimental studies have begun to explain their behavior, the knowledge about how the internal structure and properties of these materials are related still needs to be deeply excavated and explored.
In short, the multiple faces of amorphous materials are not only a challenge for materials science, but also a journey of continuous exploration.
Will the unsolved mysteries of these materials be revealed in the near future?
