Design of Cu{sub 8}Zr{sub 5}-based bulk metallic glasses

• Published in: Applied physics letters 2006-06, Vol.88 (24)
• Main Authors: Yang, L., Xia, J.H., Wang, Q., Dong, C., Chen, L.Y., Ou, X., Liu, J.F., Jiang, J.Z., Klementiev, K., Saksl, K., Franz, H., Schneider, J.R., Gerward, L., State Key Laboratory of Materials Modification, Department of Materials Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, Laboratory of New-Structured Materials, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, HASYLAB am DESY, Notkestrasse 85, D-22603 Hamburg, Department of Physics, Building 307, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Lyngby
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: BINARY ALLOY SYSTEMS; COPPER ALLOYS; EUTECTICS; INTERMETALLIC COMPOUNDS; MATERIALS SCIENCE; METALLIC GLASSES; NIOBIUM ALLOYS; RANDOMNESS; TERNARY ALLOY SYSTEMS; TIN ALLOYS; VITRIFICATION; ZIRCONIUM ALLOYS
• ISSN: 0003-6951; 1077-3118
• DOI: 10.1063/1.2213020

Basic polyhedral clusters have been derived from intermetallic compounds at near-eutectic composition by considering a dense packing and random arrangement of atoms at shell sites. Using such building units, bulk metallic glasses can be formed. This strategy was verified in the Cu-Zr binary system, where we have demonstrated the existence of Cu{sub 8}Zr{sub 5} icosahedral clusters in Cu{sub 61.8}Zr{sub 38.2}, Cu{sub 64}Zr{sub 36}, and Cu{sub 64.5}Zr{sub 35.5} amorphous alloys. Furthermore, ternary bulk metallic glasses can be developed by doping the basic Cu-Zr alloy with a minority element. This hypothesis was confirmed in systems (Cu{sub 0.618}Zr{sub 0.382}){sub 100-x}Nb{sub x}, where x=1.5 and 2.5 at. %, and (Cu{sub 0.618}Zr{sub 0.382}){sub 98}Sn{sub 2}. The present results may open a route to prepare amorphous alloys with improved glass forming ability.