Bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) are known for their unique combinations of properties such as high strength, low stiffness, and near-net shape castability. Among the major drawbacks for their use in applications are large variability in mechanical properties such as ductility in different loading conditions or fracture toughness [1-2]. Furthermore, our understanding of how the amorphous substructure of these materials control the mechanical properties. It has been recently presented how structural heterogeneities can improve fracture toughness and failure characteristics in Zr-based BMGs [3-4]. However, a clear understanding of the 3-dimensional atomic arrangements responsible for micro-scale heterogeneities does not exist. Atom probe tomography (APT), being a 3D atomic scale quantification technique, can be very useful in this regard.
The structural characterization of BMGs using APT has been challenging due to the complex interactions of multiple elements and method-specific phenomena such as ‘clustered evaporation.’ In this study, we utilize a Zr-based BMG to characterize the atomic arrangements linked to clustered evaporation [5-6]. We have developed a novel methodology to identify clustered evaporation regions in the APT data using nearest neighbor technique and will present our work on the chemical characteristics of these clustered regions.