Discovery of an internal-friction peak in the metallic glass Nb3Ge

A well-defined internal-friction peak has been observed near 260 K in amorphous rf-sputtered films of Nb3Ge, studied at audio frequencies by a vibrating-reed technique. The characteristics of the peak are consistent with a stress-induced ordering mechanism involving a presently unidentified center which undergoes reorientation by an atomic jump with a sharply defined activation energy of 0.52 eV. The peak appears to be the first example of its type found in a metallic glass. © 1978 The American Physical Society.