<< 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. >>️
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<< 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.
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.
