Metallic glass formation by solid state reaction in bulk zirconium - copper diffusion couples

Abstract

The formation of noncrystalline alloys by vapour deposition and rapid quenching from the melt has been encountered in a wide variety of alloy systems. Amorphisation has been achieved in a number of alloys by a solid state reaction between adjacent layers of thin films in multilayer deposited materials and by mechanical alloying. The authors present the evidence for the formation of an amorphous phase in the diffusion couple made from bulk specimens. These results show that in a suitable glass forming system like Zr-Cu, a solid state reaction between conventionally processed fully annealed pieces of pure zirconium and pure copper can result in glass formation at the interface.