Remarks on solid state amorphizing transformations

Amorphous solids can now be produced through a variety of laboratory synthesis techniques as well as through many naturally occurring processes. In general, we can classify the methods of synthesis of amorphous solids as follows: (1) rapid solidification of melts or vapors; (2) atomic disordering of crystalline lattices; (3) solid state reactions between pure elements; (4) solid-state transformations from metastable crystalline states; and (5) deposition from electrolytes. We give a short summary of the historical development of methods (1)-(4) (method (5) is clearly outside the focus of this conference) and we discuss the basic physical principles behind the methods.