Inheritance factor on the physical properties in metallic glasses

Material genetic engineering can significantly accelerate the development of new materials. As an important topic in material science and condensed matter physics, the development of metallic glasses (MGs) with specific properties has largely been the result of trial and error since their discovery in 1960. Yet, property design based on the physical parameters of constituent elements of MGs remains a huge challenge owing to the lack of an understanding of the property inheritance from constitute elements to the resultant alloys. In this work, we report the inherent relationships of the yield strength σ y, Young’s modulus E, and shear Modulus G with the valence electron density. More importantly, we reveal that the electronic density of states (EDOSs) at the Fermi surface (E F) is an inheritance factor for the physical properties of MGs. The physical properties of MGs are inherited from the specific element with the largest coefficient of electronic specific heat (γi ), which dominates the value of the EDOS at E F. This work not only contributes to the understanding of property inheritances but also guides the design of novel MGs with specific properties based on material genetic engineering.