Endless Possibilities: Amorphous Alloys at Cryogenic Temperatures

Amorphous metals are highly disordered non-crystalline structures that present great versatility in a wide range of applications due to their fast magnetization reversal and overall very low magnetic losses. Current applications include power electronics, telecommunication equipment, sensing devices in areas of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and environmental sensors for air and fluid viscosity monitoring, humidity, mass loading and gas sensing. Because of strong magneto-elastic coupling, the strip will undergo magnetrostrictive resonance at a frequency corresponding to its natural mechanical resonance. In this study, we are exploring the possibility to extend the applications of amorphous alloys to space, where the temperature dependence of the resonance profile must be well understood at ambient space conditions.