Chemical short-range order (CSRO) has emerged as an important index of material
properties for multicomponent metallic alloys and glasses, but its role in transition between
brittle and ductile fracture mechanisms is not understood. Here, using molecular dynamics
simulations of fracture in notched samples of a nominally brittle metallic glass Fe 80 P 20,
we show that the fracture mode can be altered from crack propagation to shear banding by
tuning​ CSRO. The underlying mechanism is identified as the agglomeration of metalloid …