# gst: this arrangement may not be completely random; you might observe ordered structures (also) into amorphous (metallic glasses) solids

<< Glass, rubber and plastics all belong to a class of matter called amorphous solids. And in spite of how common they are in our everyday lives, amorphous solids have long posed a challenge to scientists. >>

A study << reports on the first-ever determination of the 3D atomic structure of an amorphous solid—in this case, a material called metallic glass. >>️

️

<< Because amorphous solids have been so difficult to characterize, the researchers expected the atoms to be arranged chaotically. And although about 85% of the atoms were in a disordered arrangement, the researchers were able to identify pockets where a fraction of atoms coalesced into ordered superclusters. The finding demonstrated that even within an amorphous solid, the arrangement of atoms is not completely random. >>️

Wayne Lewis. Century-old problem solved with first-ever 3D atomic imaging of an amorphous solid. University of California, Los Angeles. Mar 31, 2021.

https://phys.org/news/2021-03-century-old-problem-first-ever-3d-atomic.html   

Yang Y., Zhou J., et al. Determining the three-dimensional atomic structure of an amorphous solid. Nature 592, 60–64.  doi: 10.1038/  s41586-021-03354-0. Mar 31, 2021.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03354-0