How does the initial free volume distribution affect shear band formation in metallic glass?

Introducing heterogeneities into the structure is an effective way to enhance the plasticity in metallic glasses (MGs). As natural heterogeneity, the original randomly distributed free volume in MGs has been found to be in favor of plasticity. However, the exact correlation between the free volume distribution and mechanical response is still unclear. In this paper, we investigate the shear banding in MGs with different structural disorders, characterized by both the free volume concentration (FVC) and the free volume dispersion (FVD). It is found that, either high FVC or wide FVD leads to low activation stress of shear band; wide FVD promotes the multiplication of shear bands but high FVC restricts it. It reveals that the yield strength in MGs is dependent on the amount of free volume while the plasticity mainly relies on the distribution. An optimum combination of the two aspects probably helps to design a MG of both good plasticity and high strength.