J. Mater. Sci. Technol. ›› 2024, Vol. 172: 113-144.DOI: 10.1016/j.jmst.2023.05.081

• Review Article • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Progress on the glassy-crystal laminates: From design, microstructure to deformation and future solutions

Yu Chena,b, Ronggao Cuic, Jun Shena,d,*, Gang Wange,*   

  1. aCollege of Mechatronics and Control Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China;
    bCollege of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China;
    cDepartment of Motor Design Business, Weichai New Energy Technology Co., Ltd., Weifang 261061, China;
    dGuangdong Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Control and Intelligent Robots, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China;
    eLaboratory for Microstructures, Institute of Materials, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
  • Received:2023-03-09 Revised:2023-04-25 Accepted:2023-05-04 Published:2024-02-10 Online:2023-08-16
  • Contact: *E-mail addresses: junshen@szu.edu.cn (J. Shen), g.wang@i.shu.edu.cn (G. Wang)

Abstract: The development of new design strategies to create innovative structural materials, refine existing ones, and achieves compatible combinations of strength and plasticity remains a worldwide goal. Promising alloys, such as shape memory alloys (SMAs), bulk metallic glasses (BMGs), high entropy alloys (HEAs), and heterogeneous pure metals such as Cu, have excellent mechanical responses, but they still fall short of meeting all the requirements of structural materials due to specific flaws, such as lack of tensile deformation for BMGs and low yielding strength for HEAs. To address these shortcomings, proposals such as integrating glassy matrices and crystallized alloys, such as HEAs/SMAs, have been suggested. However, these solutions have unresolved issues, such as the challenging control of B2 phase formation in BMG composites. Recently, glass-crystal (A/C) laminated alloys with alternating layers have been reported to exhibit improved mechanical properties and activated work-hardening behaviors, but they still face pressing issues such as bonding interfaces and unknown deformation mechanisms. This review focuses on design routes such as the selection of alloy components and processing techniques, exploration of micro-structural evolution and deformation modes with an increase in strain, and future solutions to address pressing and unsolved issues. These prominent advantages include diversified deformation mechanisms, such as deformation twinning, martensitic phase transformation, and precipitation hardening, as well as tuned interactive reactions of shear bands (SBs) near the A/C interfaces. Thus, this review provides a promising pathway to design and develop structural materials in the materials field community.

Key words: Glassy-crystal laminates, Bulk metallic glasses, High entropy alloys, Shape memory alloys, Microstructure, Deformation mechanisms, Future solutions