Local Structure around Pd Atoms in Pd_42.5Ni_7.5Cu₃₀P₂₀ Excellent Glass-Former Studied by Anomalous X-ray Scattering

Abstract

In order to study local structure around the Pd atoms in Pd_42.5Ni_7.5Cu₃₀P₂₀ excellent metallic glass-former, an anomalous X-ray scattering (AXS) experiment was performed at energies close to the Pd K absorption edge at the beamline BM02 of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. The differential structure factor, Δ_PdS(Q), was obtained with a good statistical quality, which demonstrates that a pre-shoulder at about 20 nm⁻¹, indicating the existence of an intermediate-range order, originates from the Pd-Pd atomic correlation. The first peak in the differential pair correlation function, Δ_Pdg(r), shows a longer inter-atomic length around the Pd atoms than the average value. The local structure around the Pd atoms is discussed in detail by comparing to the previous experiments of AXS and electronic structure.