Ultrastable metallic glasses (SMGs) are of exceptional interest as they are promising candidates to solve the stability issues of conventional metallic glasses. The annealing-driven structural evolution of a Zr₅₀Cu_44.5Al_5.5 SMG fabricated by direct current magnetron sputtering, alongside its thermophysical and mechanical properties, were systematically investigated over the temperature range 0.74 to 1.03$T_g$, where $T_g$ is the glass transition temperature. A temperature limit for further improvements in key properties due to annealing was found at 0.8$T_g$, as a relaxation-to-rejuvenation transition was observed beyond this temperature. This transition temperature agrees well with the optimal temperature range for an SMG formation. The origin of this transformation resides in the local structure deviation from short range order- to medium range order- and the resultant disorder-dominated state upon annealing. Rejuvenation occurs upon the activation of α relaxation, as structural units revert to bulk-like behavior due to a liquid–liquid transition. The abnormal three-stage sub-$T_g$ relaxation pattern observed in SMG was caused by a non-monotonic change in structural heterogeneity as annealing temperature increased from 0.74 to 0.93$T_g$. This work firstly provides direct evidence for an annealing-induced structural evolution in SMG fabricated at room temperature and imparts a better understanding of the optimal temperature range for SMG formation.

超稳定金属玻璃（SMG）引起人们极大的兴趣，因为它们有望解决常规金属玻璃的稳定性问题。在0.74至1.03的温度范围内，系统地研究了由直流磁控溅射制备的Zr ₅₀ Cu _44.5 Al _5.5 SMG的退火驱动结构演变以及其热物理和机械性能。${Ť}_G$，在哪里 ${Ť}_G$是玻璃化转变温度。发现通过退火可进一步改善关键性能的温度极限为0.8${Ť}_G$，因为在此温度以上观察到了从松弛到活化的转变。该转变温度与SMG形成的最佳温度范围非常吻合。该转变的起源在于从短程有序到中程有序的局部结构偏差，以及退火后产生的无序状态。当α弛豫被激活时，由于结构单元由于液-液转变而恢复为块状行为，因此会发生复兴。异常三阶段${Ť}_G$ 在SMG中观察到的松弛模式是由于退火温度从0.74升高到0.93导致结构异质性的非单调变化引起的${Ť}_G$。这项工作首先提供了在室温下制造的SMG中退火引起的结构演变的直接证据，并更好地理解了SMG形成的最佳温度范围。