A molecular dynamics simulation study has been performed for the formation and evolution characteristics of nano-clusters in a large-scale system consisting of 400000 atoms of liquid metal Al. The center-atom method combined with pair-bond analysis technique and cluster-type index method (CTIM) has been applied here to describe the structural configurations of various basic clusters. It is demonstrated that both the 1551 bond-type and the icosahedral cluster (12 0 12 0) constructed by 1551 bond-types are dominant among all the bond-types and cluster-types, respectively, in the system and play a critical role in the microstructure transitions of liquid metal Al. The nano-clusters (containing up to 150 atoms) are formed by the combination of some middle and small clusters with distinctly different sizes, through mutual competition by unceasing annex and evolution in a seesaw manner (in turn of obtaining and losing), which do not occur as the multi-shell structures accumulated with an atom as the center and A molecular dynamics simulation study has been performed for the formation and evolution characteristics of nano-clusters in a large-scale system consisting of 400000 atoms of liquid metal Al. The center-atom method combined with pair-bond analysis technique and cluster-type index method is (CTIM) has been applied here to describe the structural configurations of various basic clusters. It is illustrative that both 1551 bond-type and the icosahedral cluster (12 0 12 0) constructed by 1551 bond-types are dominant among all the bonds. -types and cluster-types, respectively, in the system and play a critical role in the microstructure transitions of liquid metal Al. The nano-clusters (containing up to 150 atoms) are formed by the combination of some middle and small clusters with distinctly different sizes, through mutual competition by unceasing annex and evolution in a seesaw manner (in turn of obtaining and losing), which do not occur as the multi-shell structures accumulated with an ato m as the center and