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Metallic alloys are normally composed of multiple constituent elements in order to achieve integration of a plurality of properties required in technological applications. However, conventional alloy development paradigm, by sequential trial-and-error approach, requires completely unrelated strategies to optimize compositions out of a vast phase space, making alloy development time consuming and labor intensive. Here, we challenge the conventional paradigm by proposing a combinatorial strategy that enables parallel screening of a multitude of alloys. Utilizing a typical metallic glass forming alloy system Zr-Cu-Al-Ag as an example, we demonstrate how glass formation and antibacterial activity, two unrelated properties, can be simultaneously characterized and the optimal composition can be efficiently identified. We found that in the Zr-Cu-Al-Ag alloy system fully glassy phase can be obtained in a wide compositional range by co-sputtering, and antibacterial activity is strongly dependent on alloy compositions. Our results indicate that antibacterial activity is sensitive to Cu and Ag while essentially remains unchanged within a wide range of Zr and Al. The proposed strategy not only facilitates development of high-performing alloys, but also provides a tool to unveil the composition dependence of properties in a highly parallel fashion, which helps the development of new materials by design.

51 citations (Crossref) [2023-10-31] Place: England Liu, Yanhui. Center for Research on Interface Structures and Phenomena, Yale University, New Haven CT 06511, USA. Liu, Yanhui. Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Yale University, New Haven CT 06511, USA. Padmanabhan, Jagannath. Center for Research on Interface Structures and Phenomena, Yale University, New Haven CT 06511, USA. Padmanabhan, Jagannath. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven CT 06511, USA. Cheung, Bettina. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven CT 06511, USA. Liu, Jingbei. Center for Research on Interface Structures and Phenomena, Yale University, New Haven CT 06511, USA. Liu, Jingbei. Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Yale University, New Haven CT 06511, USA. Chen, Zheng. Center for Research on Interface Structures and Phenomena, Yale University, New Haven CT 06511, USA. Chen, Zheng. Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Yale University, New Haven CT 06511, USA. Scanley, B Ellen. Department of Physics, Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven, Connecticut 06515, USA. Wesolowski, Donna. Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven CT 06520, USA. Pressley, Mariyah. Center for Research on Interface Structures and Phenomena, Yale University, New Haven CT 06511, USA. Broadbridge, Christine C. Center for Research on Interface Structures and Phenomena, Yale University, New Haven CT 06511, USA. Broadbridge, Christine C. Department of Physics, Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven, Connecticut 06515, USA. Altman, Sidney. Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven CT 06520, USA. Schwarz, Udo D. Center for Research on Interface Structures and Phenomena, Yale University, New Haven CT 06511, USA. Schwarz, Udo D. Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Yale University, New Haven CT 06511, USA. Schwarz, Udo D. Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven CT 06520, USA. Kyriakides, Themis R. Center for Research on Interface Structures and Phenomena, Yale University, New Haven CT 06511, USA. Kyriakides, Themis R. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven CT 06511, USA. Kyriakides, Themis R. Department of Pathology, Yale University, New Haven CT 06520, USA. Schroers, Jan. Center for Research on Interface Structures and Phenomena, Yale University, New Haven CT 06511, USA. Schroers, Jan. Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Yale University, New Haven CT 06511, USA.