Microcrystalline domains in amorphous Pd77.5Cu6Si16.5 alloys studied by high-resolution electron microscopy

A high-contrast lattice imaging method in high-resolution electron microscopy has been applied to the observation of microstructures of amorphous Pd77.5Cu6Si16.5 alloys. Interpretable images of microcrystalline domains which prove the formation of the medium-range order have been observed in all the specimens prepared under different quenching rates. The average size of these domains was found to vary from about 3.2 to 1.7 nm depending on the quenching rate. From the lattice images and also from the microarea electron diffraction, the structure of the microcrystalline domains was identified as that of palladium with the face-centered-cubic structure.