Candidate Atomic Cluster Configurations in Metallic Glass Structures

Abstract

A growing body of evidence supports the importance of solute-centered atomic clusters in the structure and stability of metallic glasses. Beyond a few simple cases, a broad account of these clusters has not been provided elsewhere. Detailed characteristics of a canonical collection of efficiently packed hard sphere clusters are presented here as idealized structural elements in metallic glasses. The nomenclature, topology, geometry and packing efficiency of these clusters are provided and their relevance to the structure of metallic glasses is discussed.