Crystallization kinetics and mechanical property of yttrium-modified Zr-Cu-Ag-Al bulk metallic glasses

Abstract

The bulk metallic glasses of two different compositions i.e. Zr44Cu40Al8Ag8 and Zr44Cu40Al8Ag7Y1 were prepared by copper mold casting technique in this study. As-cast microstructure both BMG’s found to completely amorphous as depicted by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results reveal that Y-addition leads to an increase in the nucleation rate at the initial stages of crystallization but imposes resistance to the growth of the crystalline phases at later stages. Furthermore, the Y-addition results in better creep resistance for Zr44Cu40Al8Ag7Y1 glassy alloy at room temperature.