Rapidly quenched metals are the subject of an increasing research effort, spurred on both by advancements in metal processing techniques that have made commercial utilization of these metals feasible and by the recent discoveries of unique and potentially useful properties of these materials. Among the processes that have been perfected is "splat cooling," in which a liquid metal is cooled by being spread as a thin film against a metal substrate. Other processes involve vacuum evaporation, "sputtering," and chemical deposition. Such processes are considered in this book, but its main emphasis is on the remarkable physical, mechanical, chemical, magnetic, electronic, and other properties of rapidly quenched metals.
