metallic glass forming ability

Metallic glass forming ability refers to a metal's capacity to cool rapidly enough to bypass regular crystalline structures and instead form an amorphous, glass-like state. This occurs because rapid cooling prevents atoms from arranging themselves into a regular pattern, trapping them in a disordered, non-crystalline form. Metals with high glass forming ability can be cooled more slowly while still becoming a glass. Factors influencing this include atomic size differences, alloy composition, and thermodynamic properties. A strong glass-forming ability enables the creation of durable, shiny, and highly elastic metallic glasses with unique physical properties useful in various advanced applications.