glassy metal

Glassy metals, also known as metallic glasses, are amorphous solids that possess unique properties due to their disordered atomic structure. Unlike crystalline metals, which have a regular, repeating atomic arrangement, metallic glasses lack long-range order. This structural difference leads to lower electrical and thermal conductivity compared to their crystalline counterparts.12

Metallic glasses are typically formed by rapidly cooling molten metal alloys, a process called melt quenching. The speed of cooling required varies greatly depending on the material; some can be solidified in milliseconds, while others require much slower cooling over extended periods.3

These materials find applications in various technologies, including transformer cores due to their magnetic softness and high electrical resistance, which minimizes power loss. They are also used in magnetic recording media and recording heads.2