Phys. Rev. Lett. 90, 195504 (2003) [4 pages]First X-Ray Scattering Studies on Electrostatically Levitated Metallic Liquids: Demonstrated Influence of Local Icosahedral Order on the Nucleation BarrierReceived 23 December 2002; published 15 May 2003 To explain the unusual stability of undercooled liquids against crystallization, Frank hypothesized that the local structures of undercooled liquids contain a significant degree of icosahedral short-range order, which is incompatible with long-range periodicity. We present here the first direct experimental demonstration of Frank’s complete hypothesis, showing a correlation between the nucleation barrier and a growing icosahedral short-range order with decreasing temperature in a Ti39.5Zr39.5Ni21 liquid. A new experimental facility, BESL (Beamline Electrostatic Levitation), was developed to enable the synchrotron x-ray structural studies on deeply undercooled, reactive liquids. © 2003 The American Physical Society URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.90.195504
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevLett.90.195504
PACS:
61.20.Ne, 61.10.Nz, 61.25.Mv, 81.30.Fb
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