Deformation-Induced Chemical Inhomogeneity and Short-Circuit Diffusion in Shear Bands of a Bulk Metallic Glass.

The compositional changes in shear bands of a Cu_{50}Zr_{50} metallic glass after plastic deformation at room temperature have been monitored by atom probe tomography. Across the width of the shear bands an asymmetry of the enriched and depleted zones of the constituent elements is observed, while no change of the composition within the surrounding matrix occurs. The diffusion coefficients determined from the concentration profiles are orders of magnitude larger than the values of bulk diffusion at room temperature.

Structural insights into metal-metalloid glasses from mass spectrometry.

Despite being studied for nearly 50 years, smallest chemically stable moieties in the metallic glass (MG) could not be found experimentally. Herein, we demonstrate a novel experimental approach based on electrochemical etching of amorphous alloys in inert solvent (acetonitrile) in the presence of a high voltage (1 kV) followed by detection of the ions using electrolytic spray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI MS). The experiment shows stable signals corresponding to Pd, PdSi and PdSi ions, which emerges due to the electrochemical etching of the PdSi metallic glass electrode.

Nanoglass-Nanocrystal Composite-a Novel Material Class for Enhanced Strength-Plasticity Synergy.

The properties of a material can be engineered by manipulating its atomic and chemical architecture. Nanoglasses which have been recently invented and comprise nanosized glassy particles separated by amorphous interfaces, have shown promising properties. A potential way to exploit the structural benefits of nanoglasses and of nanocrystalline materials is to optimize the composition to obtain crystals forming within the glassy particles.

Nonenzymatic Glucose Sensing Using NiNb Nanoglass.

Despite being researched for nearly five decades, chemical application of metallic glass is scarcely explored. Here we show electrochemical nonenzymatic glucose-sensing ability of nickel-niobium (NiNb) amorphous alloys in alkaline medium. Three different NiNb systems with the same elemental composition, but varying microstructures are created following different synthetic routes and tested for their glucose-sensing performance.

Miniature electroparticle-cuff for wireless peripheral neuromodulation.

Objective: Recent developments in peripheral nerve electrodes allow the efficient and selective neuromodulation of somatic and autonomic nerves, which has proven beneficial in specific bioelectronic medical applications. However, current most clinical devices are wired and powered by implantable batteries which suffer from several limitations. We recently developed a sub-millimeter inductively powered neural stimulator (electroparticle; EP), and in this study, we report the integration of the EP onto commercial cuff electrodes (EP-C) allowing the wireless activation of peripheral nerves.