Effects of heat treatment on the thermal, mechanical and corrosion properties of deformed Zr-based bulk metallic glasses

Abstract

The effects of heat treatment at different temperatures in the supercooled liquid region on the thermal properties, mechanical properties and corrosion behaviors of deformed Zr65Cu15Ni12.5Al7.5 bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) are studied. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance are performed to characterize surface morphology, thermal properties, and corrosion resistance. Furthermore, the uniaxial compression test is conducted to investigative the mechanical properties of the alloy. The thermal stability of BMGs is apparently reduced as the heat-treated temperature increases. The as-cast possesses a maximum plastic deformation of about 19.5%. However, with the increase of heat-treated temperature, the plastic strain of the samples decreases, which is about 14.5% (at 643 K for 10 min), 9.5% (at 663 K for 10 min), and 3.0% (at 683 K for 10 min), respectively. Additionally, the corrosion resistance of the deformed alloys after heat treatment is superior to that of the deformed alloys before heat treatment, but it is still not as good as that of the as-cast.