Contents


Preface

The term "metallic glasses" is widely used to denote the amorphous alloys obtained by rapid quenching techniques. These materials, characterized by short range atom ordering, have found application in a variety of modern industries due to their favorable magnetic, electrical, mechanical, and anti-corrosion properties.

Kinetic and thermodynamic metastability is one of the main characteristics of metallic glasses. Inevitably, these materials tend to transform to more stable forms by crystallization, under conditions of high temperature or pressure, or during prolonged application at moderate temperatures. Their thermal stability is mainly determined by their chemical composition, while the functional properties are determined by both the chemical composition and microstructure of the material.

Thermally induced microstructural transformations could result in deterioration or improvement of the functional properties, as a consequence of the formation of hybrid amorphous/nanocrystalline structure with appropriate crystalline volume fraction and diameter of the formed crystals. Accordingly, functional properties of metallic glasses as well as their thermal stability, mechanism, and kinetics of microstructural transformations, represent topics of considerable interest for the

**Dragica M. Minić and Milica M. Vasić**

University of Belgrade,

Serbia

Faculty of Physical Chemistry,

practical application of metallic glasses.
