Reactivity and mass loss are considered mutually exclusive in conventional zero-valent metal (ZVM) technology to treat environmental contaminants. Here, we report the outstanding performance of Co-based metallic glass (MG) in degrading an aqueous solution of azo dye, thus eliminating this trade-off. Ball-milled Co-based MG powders completely degrade Acid Orange II at an ultrafast rate. The surface-area-normalized rate constant of Co-based MG powders was one order of magnitude higher than that of Co-based crystalline counterparts and three orders of magnitude higher than that of the widely studied Fe⁰ powders. The coordinatively unsaturated local structure in Co-based MG responds to the catalysis for degradation, resulting in very low mass loss. Wide applicability and good reusability were also present. Co-based MG is the most efficient material for azo dye degradation reported thus far and will promote the practical application of MGs as functional materials.

Crystalline-amorphous composite have the potential to achieve high strength and high ductility through manipulation of their microstructures. Here, we fabricate a TiZr-based alloy with micrometer-size equiaxed grains that are made up of three-dimensional bicontinuous crystalline-amorphous nanoarchitectures (3D-BCANs). In situ tension and compression tests reveal that the BCANs exhibit enhanced ductility and strain hardening capability compared to both amorphous and crystalline phases, which impart ultra-high yield strength (~1.80 GPa), ultimate tensile strength (~2.3 GPa), and large uniform ductility (~7.0%) into the TiZr-based alloy. Experiments combined with finite element simulations reveal the synergetic deformation mechanisms; i.e., the amorphous phase imposes extra strain hardening to crystalline domains while crystalline domains prevent the premature shear localization in the amorphous phases. These mechanisms endow our material with an effective strength–ductility–strain hardening combination.