Improve plasticity of Zr-based metallic glass by surface treatment

Abstract

Zirconium-based bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) have received considerable attention due to their high strength and good corrosion resistance. However, the poor plasticity hindered its engineering application. In this paper, we utilized the surface treatment to produce regions with alternate softness and hardness, leading to a noteworthy enhancement in the mechanical performance and corrosion behavior of the material. The results indicate that local distortion significantly improves the compressive fracture strength of the Zr52.5Cu17.9Ni14.6Al10Ti5 amorphous alloy, which increased from 1599 MPa to 1924 MPa, as well as its plasticity, which increased from 1.67% to 15.45%. Furthermore, electrochemical analysis of the imprinted alloy showed improved passivation ability, although its corrosion resistance in a 3.5% solution was inferior. These findings are likely due to material densification after imprinting, along with the increased density of passive films. This study offers new insights and solutions for the industrial application of BMGs based on zirconium.