From lunar glass to advanced metallic glass: dense nanocrystallization catalyzed by implanted ions
Nanocrystallization of glasses is a critical pathway for designing advanced materials with superior properties. This study investigates the crystallization behavior of lunar glasses retrieved by the Chang’E-5 mission. Solar wind irradiation induces abundant Fe nano-clusters (~2 nm) within a ~4 μm surface layer. Upon heating, these defects act as nucleation sites, facilitating homogeneous and dense Fe nanocrystals. In contrast, the unirradiated interior crystallizes into coarse Fe crystals. Inspired by these findings, advanced magnetic nanocrystalline alloys are designed based on Fe86B14 metallic glass via H+ ion irradiation. After H+ irradiation and nanocrystallization, the surface nanocrystals are 5–8 nm, significantly smaller than the deep interior (15–20 nm). Permeability at 10 kHz increases by ~10.2%. These results provide insights into the thermal stability of lunar glasses and present a novel strategy for designing advanced soft magnetic materials with enhanced performance.