Magnetic fields change crystalline metals to glass. (Materials Science/R&D).

The ability to manipulate magnetic fields to change the crystal structure of metals to an amorphous structure has been reported by researchers at Penn State Materials Research Institute, University Park, Pa. Prof. Rustum Roy and colleagues report that magnetic fields changed macro samples of crystalline metal into glassy or nanocrystalline phases. The materials included magnetic and dielectric oxides, and they changed from crystalline to glassy in only a few seconds. The work was based on the simple and well-known ability to set up a standing wave of electromagnetic radiation of ...