Nanjing University of Science and Technology made a historic breakthrough in research into amorphous alloys on March 17, which could open up new applications for the material.

Amorphous alloys, also called metallic glass, are solid metals that have been flash-cooled to give them an amorphous atomic structure, making the metal more durable, hard yet ductile, and magnetic than normal alloys.

The new materials have already been widely applied in many fields ranging from sports equipment, medical devices, telecom products and the defense industry.

Lan Si, a young professor at NUST, has contributed to an international project that discovered a previously hidden amorphous phase. The discovery has solved the phase-change problem of amorphous alloys, which had been a bottleneck for research in the field for 40 years.

The discovery could help improve the property modulation of alloys and improve their performance.

Made from the improved amorphous alloy, a golf club will be able to hit a ball farther, a scalpel will become smaller, thinner and sharper, and a smartphone will be able to resist wear and tear and withstand shocks much easier.

Typical amorphous alloy is also called metallic glass.[Photo/edu.jschina.com]