Paving the way toward novel strong, conductive materials

Bulk metallic glasses are metallic alloys whose neatly ordered atomic structure can be altered into an amorphous, non-crystalline structure — giving metal the malleability of plastic, while maintaining its durability and conductivity. However, these alloys are complex, often containing five or six different elements, including expensive noble metals like gold or palladium and scientists have no clue which combinations of elements will form them. Now, researchers have developed a method to predict which alloys may form a bulk metallic glass.