Viscosity anomaly of a metallic glass-forming liquid under high pressure

Abstract

Viscosity, as a critical property closely associated with the glass-forming ability of a liquid, has been extensively studied with varying temperatures. However, its pressure dependence has not been well explored yet due to experimental difficulties. Here, we measured the viscosity of a metallic glass-forming liquid, Zr46Cu37.6Ag8.4Al8, at pressures up to 6.1 GPa above the melting points by falling-sphere viscometry with ultrafast synchrotron x-ray imaging. Overall, the viscosity increases with pressure, while surprisingly, there is an abrupt drop between 3.2 GPa and 3.7 GPa, indicating the possible existence of a pressure-induced liquid-to-liquid transition. Pressure could change the short- and medium-range orders in the multicomponent glass-forming liquid, as suggested by the different crystalline outcomes after cooling to room temperature at high- and low-pressure ranges. Our work extended the viscosity investigation of metallic glass-forming liquids to the high-pressure regime, which will expand our understanding of liquid-liquid transitions and metallic glass formation.