Electron-Diffraction Study on an Amorphous Al-V Alloy Produced by Electron Irradiation of Quasicrystalline Al-16 at-%V

Quasicrystalline Al-16 at-%V was transformed to the amorphous state by low-temperature electron irradiation in a high-voltage electron microscope. Electron diffraction experiments were carried out in the amorphous state and in the crystalline state obtained after subsequent heat treatment. From the results the total structure factor was determined. The pair correlation function was calculated which yields the radii of the different coordination spheres and the total coordination number. The results are discussed in terms of current topological models of the structure of metallic glasses.