Effect of nanoimprint-induced structural heterogeneity on the oxidation behavior of Zr-based metallic glass

Abstract

Thermal nanoimprint lithography was applied to Zr-based metallic glass to fabricate zirconia surfaces with tunable morphology, and subsequent thermal oxidation was used to further control the oxide thickness. Compared with the as-spun specimens, the imprinted specimens developed non-uniform oxide layers under identical heat-treatment conditions. Thermal stress-induced short-range order locally increases the interfacial energy with the amorphous oxide, thereby reducing the critical thickness for crystallization and promoting dendritic growth of tetragonal zirconia. These findings demonstrate that nanoimprint-induced structural heterogeneity critically governs the oxidation behavior and provide new guidelines for engineering durable functional oxide layers in Zr-based metallic glass.