Liquidmetal Technologies Inc (LQMT)

[chipboarder]

There is a polymer chemistry analog to “short range ordered, long range disordered”. shell created a line of thermoplastic styrene butadiene block polymers (Kratons) that use a similar thought process. One in particular was composed of SBR portions connected by isoprene chains. In this case, the styrene is analogous to the crystalline portion and the isoprene is the amorphous portion. These polymers were very strong and could be melted and even injection molded.

I do remember references 3-4 years ago about developing the ability to control the degree of crystalinity in a BMG and thought at the time...why? The reason could be to try and get the best properties of both structures, but from personal experience, you usually get a good mix of the properties you are trying to eliminate.

By the way, this illustrates why the process technology is far more important than the composition. The process technology is rarely published and almost impossible to replicate