Spatial distribution and connectivity of medium-range order signatures in a metallic glass probed with simulated and experimental 4DSTEM

Quantifying the structural evolution of metallic glasses (MGs) during relaxation remains an experimental challenge. Here, we assess the statistical signature of local diffraction symmetries and their spatial distribution obtained with transmission electron microscopy in both experimentally cast Pd-based MGs and simulated binary model glasses. A detailed analysis of diffraction symmetries from the model glass shows that microstructural coarsening is dominated by icosahedra and Frank–Kasper polyhedra. While symmetries for these motifs are less significant for the laboratory-cast Pd-based glass, clear signatures of symmetry-cluster coarsening as a function of relaxation state are observed in both experiments and simulations, without any indications for crystallization. These findings give support for a qualitatively similar evolution of a glassy microstructure at the medium-range order length scale during glass relaxation.