Amorphous Metals And How They Can Change Future Products

What makes amorphous metals different from other metals is its unusual atomic-scale structure. Most metals exhibit a crystalline state with atoms arranged in a highly-ordered state whereas amorphous metals have disordered arrangement and non-crystalline structure which is almost glass-like.

Image source: machinedesign.com

The first production of amorphous metals occurred in 1960 at Caltech. The glass-forming alloy was cooled extremely quickly which prevented crystallization. It was first used in wires, foil, and metal ribbons. But by the ‘90s, a method that allowed a much lowered cooling rate enabled amorphous metals to be cast into metallic molds. This made amorphous metals more useful in industrial scenarios.

Commercially, amorphous metal products today include Liquidmetal and is used to manufacture a wide array of items ranging from smartphone covers to watches. What makes amorphous metals useful in these applications are its high tensile strength and superb resistance to corrosion.

Image source: spinoff.nasa.gov

In the future, Liquidmetal can be seen replacing plastic materials in several forms. Currently, tech titan Apple is testing the viability of the material and has already used it in some of its products. One of its goals is to produce covers that retain scratch-free surfaces far longer than the current material being used. Liquidmetal was also used in a recent project in space where it was used on the Genesis space probe as solar wind ion collectors.

John Kang focused on research and investing in commercializing amorphous alloys through Liquidmetal Technologies, Inc. His efforts proved to be fruitful as the company entered into partnerships with large-scale companies such as Apple, Inc. and The Swatch Group, Ltd. For more insights on amorphous metals, visit this blog.