Nucleation Of Crystalline Phases Research Articles

Mechanical Properties of an Ultrahard In Situ Amorphous Steel Matrix Composite

We report compression tests on micropillars manufactured from bulk specimens of partially devitrified SAM2×5 (Fe49.7Cr17.7Mn1.9Mo7.4W1.6B15.2C3.8Si2.4). Yield strength values of ≈6 GPa are obtained. Such a high strength can be attributed to the higher glass transition temperature (883 K) of this material, which impedes the multiplication of shear bands under loading, and to the presence of hard crystalline domains that result from devitrification of the amorphous powders during powder consolidation. The Vickers hardness of the specimens is found to be strongly correlated to the processing temperature and, hence to the volume of crystalline phases present in the specimens. As the processing temperature is increased, there is a reduction in free volume from the structural relaxation process in the amorphous alloy, leading to the eventual nucleation of crystalline phases of BCC Fe, Cr2B, Cr21.30Fe1.7C6, or Fe23B2C4, during the densification process. These results shed light on the relationship between nanocrystalline domains and the mechanical behavior of Fe‐based amorphous/crystalline composites.

A Sustainable Self‐Induced Solution Seeding Approach for Multipurpose BiFeO3 Active Layers in Flexible Electronic Devices

AbstractThe direct integration of crystalline oxide layers into flexible electronic systems requires the development of relatively simple, low‐temperature processing routes. Seeding represents a powerful strategy to reach this objective by the generation of preferential sites for the nucleation of crystalline phases with a reduced energy barrier. Here, a novel approach is reported where nanoseeds are generated in situ from a precursor solution using a solvent‐engineering strategy (solvent‐antisolvent). The controlled addition of an antisolvent (1,3‐propanediol) to a solution of metal salts (Bi/Fe) dissolved in acetic acid results in the formation of nanocrystals (seeds) by supersaturation. The presence of such nanoseeds is also confirmed in the deposited layers, improving significantly the crystallinity of the respective BiFeO3 thin films as complementary, deduced by piezoresponse force microscopy. Using this low‐temperature strategy, crystalline films are directly grown on flexible polymeric substrates at only 350 °C showing a remanent polarization of 10.5 µC cm−2 and a clear photovoltaic effect (11.7 µW cm−2) of interest in computer memories and energy harvesters. The flexibility of the BiFeO3 thin films may enlarge the number of applications of this multifunctional, lead‐free material in next‐generation digital and sustainable electronic devices based on a facile, low‐cost fabrication method with reduced energy consumption.

Structures, interfaces and thermodynamic stability of nanocrystalline phases in rapidly solidified Fe-based amorphous nanocomposite ribbon, powder and coating

Fe-based amorphous nanocomposite with nominal composition Fe 58.82 Cr 11.12 Mo 1.52 Si 4.16 B 15.12 P 8.88 C 0.39 (at%) has been processed through melt-spinning, melt-spinning followed by ball milling and thermal spray deposition of coating onto a mild steel substrate. X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy characterization of the processed alloy reveals that the melt-spun ribbon is mostly amorphous with uniform distribution of very fine crystals of α-Fe and oP30 (Fe 2 B 7 ) phase. In the melt-spun followed by ball milled powder mainly cI58 (Fe 18 Cr 6 Mo 5 ), tP30 (Fe 62 Cr 34 Mo 4 ) and mI32 (Fe 5 C 2 ) phases are obtained. However, the tP30 (Fe 62 Cr 34 Mo 4 ) phase while ball milling undergoes distortive changes locally to produce oC68, tP60 and tP58 phases with similar composition. The interface between the two structures is considerably strained. In the coating, cF118 (Fe 18 Cr 6 Mo 5 ) and oI92 (Fe 62 Cr 34 Mo 4 ) are observed in the amorphous matrix. Essentially the cF118 and oI92 can be seen as a structural derivative of cI58 and tP30 phases respectively. Local composition fluctuation and availability of a suitable nucleation condition leads to the nucleation of crystalline phases in the amorphous matrix in the melt-spun ribbon. In the melt-spun followed by ball milled powder further distortive changes are observed locally, which leads to the formation of polymorphically related phases to tP30 phase. Even though all the phases are crystallographically quite complicated, they are all derived from either the tP30 (Fe 62 Cr 34 Mo 4 ) phase or cI58 (Fe 18 Cr 6 Mo 5 ) phases. Thermodynamic calculations through Miedema’s model indicates that the nominal composition of the alloy lies at the boundary of glass forming composition. The crystal compositions, although different from the nominal composition of the alloy, lies in the crystal forming composition range. Local composition fluctuation, favorable thermodynamic conditions for nucleation and growth leads to the crystal nucleation. Although all the phases are crystallographically different, they have similar polyhedral order in them. The polyhedral structures cannot be correlated with Frank-Kasper or Bernal deltahedral phases. This is a significant difference between metal-metalloid glasses with its metal-metal counterpart. • Hagg phases and Fe-Cr-Mo intermetalic phases evolve in a Fe-based BMG forming alloy after processing through different solidification routes. • Different polymorphs of Fe-Cr-Mo intermetallics evolve after processing through different solidification routes. • Contrary to the metal-metal glasses, polyhedral structures of the intermetallics do not directly corroborate with Frank-Kasper polyhedra or Bernal deltahedra. • Formation of structurally different polymorphs in the same alloy indicates that the energy difference between two polymorphs is very little. • Miedema calculations show that the alloy composition lies in the boundary region of the glass forming composition range and composition fluctuation is responsible for nucleation of nanocrystalline phases.

Self-Assembly of Model Triblock Janus Colloidal Particles in Two Dimensions.

A simplified two-dimensional effective-solvent model of triblock Janus particles, consisting of three interaction sites in a linear configuration, a core particle, and two particles modeling the attractive patches at the poles, is developed to study the mechanism of nucleation and self-assembly in triblock Janus particles. The potential energy parameters are tuned against phase transition temperatures and free energy barriers to the nucleation of crystalline phases, calculated from our previous detailed model of Janus particles. Vapor-liquid equilibria and critical temperatures are calculated by grand-canonical molecular dynamics simulations for particles of different patch widths. With metadynamics, phase equilibria, mechanism of nucleation, and free energy barriers to nucleation are investigated. The minimum free energy path to nucleation indicates two steps. The first step, with a higher free energy increase, consists of the densification of the fluid into a disordered cluster. In the second step, of a lower free energy barrier, the inner particles of the disordered cluster reorient to form a crystalline nucleus. This two-step mechanism of nucleation of a kagome lattice is in complete agreement with the experiment and with our previous simulations using a detailed model of Janus particles. Large systems at a slight supersaturation generate multiple crystalline domains, which are misaligned at the grain boundaries. In complete agreement with the experiment and with previous simulation results, we observe a two-step mechanism for crystal growth: melting of the smaller (less stable) crystallites to a fluid followed by recrystallization at the surface of neighboring bigger (more stable) crystallites. A comparison of the present softer modeling of a Janus particle with harder models in the literature for self-assembly of Janus particles indicates that softer potentials stabilize open lattices (e.g., kagome) more than dense lattices (e.g., hexagonal). Also, experimental locations of phase transition points and barrier heights to nucleation are better reproduced by the present model than by the existing simple models.

Melt-derived copper-doped ferrimagnetic glass-ceramic for tumor treatment

Copper-containing ferrimagnetic glass-ceramic with the following composition: 24.7% SiO2-8.5% CaO-13.5% Na2O-3.3% P2O5-31% Fe2O3-14% FeO–5CuO (wt%) was synthesized by means melt and quenching process both in powder and bulk form. The obtained samples were characterized and compared by means morphological, compositional and structural analyses. The magnetic properties and the ability to release heat were also investigated together with the antimicrobial properties towards S. aureus strain. The obtained results showed that copper introduction and the annealing process influenced the nucleation of crystalline phases; in particular the samples produced in powder form evidenced a low amount of magnetite and thus a reduced hysteresis area and ability to produce heat when exposed to an alternating magnetic field. While Cu-containing samples in the bulk form maintained the magnetic and calorimetric properties of pristine glass-ceramic. Preliminary evaluation of antibacterial properties demonstrated Cu-doped samples were not able to reduce the bacterial proliferation and thus the need to optimize the copper introduction process.

The formation and stability of bulk amorphous and high entropy alloys

Abstract Two kinds of phase stabilization mechanism are discussed and compared: the first is characteristic of the formation of bulk amorphous alloys, in which the high supercooling ability of multicomponent liquids is responsible for the glassy phase stabilization. Here the hindered nucleation of crystalline phases is the center phenomenon. The origin of this hindering is the slowing atomic mobility in the supercooling melt. In contrast the melt supercooling is negligible during the high entropy alloy formation. It is believed that stability of the crystalline single fcc phase is the consequence of the characteristic of high configurational entropy at high temperatures. However, the significance of this entropy-dominated stabilization is overestimated in several references. It has been concluded that transition metal contraction (arising from the d electron participation in the overall bonding state) does also contribute to the high temperature stability of fcc single phase in the high entropy alloys.

Analysis of the Kinetics of Devitrification and Crystallization of a Melilite Mold Powder Slag for Medium Carbon Steel Billet Casting

High-speed continuous casting of steel billets entails considerable turbulence in the liquid core, which results in significant slag entrapment unless high viscosity slags are used. It has been suggested that such slags remain glassy or crystallize slightly under the prevailing mold cooling, temperature and residence time conditions. Slags whose composition lead to formation of melilite minerals (i.e., to formation of calcium sodium magnesium aluminum iron disilicates), as the main crystalline phase, possess viscosities > 0.5 Pa/s at 1573 K (1300 °C), are low or do not contain F, and incorporate transition metal oxides (e.g., FeO, MnO and TiO) to absorb infrared radiation and soften steel shell-to-mold heat transfer. In this work, a commercial melilite mold powder, for casting medium carbon steels round billets, is selected to carry out detailed analysis of the kinetics of precipitation of crystalline phases from glassy—devitrification—and super-cooled liquid slags—crystallization—under non-isothermal and isothermal conditions. High-temperature confocal laser scanning microscopy is used in both cases and differential scanning calorimetry just in non-isothermal ones. Assessment of amorphous and crystalline phases in treated samples is done by quantitative X-ray powder diffraction analysis. It is found that even after prolonged treatment (» 36,000 seconds) at 1248 K (975 °C) approximately 13 wt pct of the slag remains amorphous. Additionally, the results indicate that nucleation of crystalline phases in super-cooled liquid and glassy slags occurs on the surface. Thus, it is found that crystallization kinetics is strongly influenced by the topography of the surface with which the super-cooled liquid is in contact, as well as, by shearing actions imposed on the liquid slag surface, which contribute by developing nucleation sites. Devitrification tends to be stronger on surfaces contacting foreign walls and over cracks. Moreover, it is found that predictions of the kinetic model, developed for estimating time–temperature–transformation diagrams from non-isothermal differential scanning calorimetry data, portray reasonably well experimental results of crystallization, as well as devitrification of consolidated samples.

Численное моделирование кристаллизации модифицированной металлической капли при растекании на подложке

The purpose of the research was to numerically simulate the processes when melting drops fall on a substrate. The paper deals with the solidification on the metal surface of a binary aluminum alloy modified by activated refractory nanosized particles, which are the centers of crystalline phase nucleation. We formulated a mathematical model which describes the thermo- and hydrodynamic phenomena in the drop upon interaction with a solid substrate, heterogeneous nucleation during melt cooling, and subsequent crystallization. The flow in a liquid is described by the Navier --- Stokes equations in the Boussinesq approximation. The position of the free boundary of the melt is fixed by marker particles moving with the local liquid velocity. On the melt --- substrate contact surface, thermal resistance is taken into account. The hydrodynamic problem is considered under conditions of crystallization of molten metal. The temperature conditions and the kinetics of the growth of the solid phase in the solidifying aluminum alloy are described for various sizes of formed splats. Satisfactory agreement was found between the shape of the splat obtained by the results of numerical simulation and the available experimental data. The adequacy of the crystallization model in the presence of ultradisperse refractory particles in a binary alloy is confirmed. It was determined that, regardless of the size of the drop, bulk crystallization of the metal takes place. It was found that at a high rate of collision of a drop with a substrate during the melt spreading, a small fraction of the solid phase can be formed.

Implications of Reactions Between SO2 and Basaltic Glasses for the Mineralogy of Planetary Crusts

AbstractBasalts are ubiquitous in volcanic systems on several planetary bodies, including the Earth, Mars, Venus, and Jupiter's moon Io, and are commonly associated with sulfur dioxide (SO2) degassing. We present the results of an experimental study of reactions between SO2 and basaltic glasses. We examined Fe‐free basalt, and Fe‐bearing tholeiitic and alkali basalts with a range of Fe3+/Fetotal (0.05 to 0.79) that encompass the oxygen fugacities proposed for most terrestrial planetary bodies. Tholeiitic and alkali basalts were exposed to SO2 at 600, 700, and 800 °C for 1 hr and 24 hr. Surface coatings formed on the reacted basalts; these contain CaSO4, MgSO4, Na2SO4, Na2Ca(SO4)2, Fe2O3, Fe3O4, Fe‐Ti‐(Al)‐oxides, and TiO2. Additionally, the SO2‐basalt reaction drives nucleation of crystalline phases in the substrate to form pyroxenes and possible Fe‐oxides. A silica‐rich layer forms between the substrate and sulfate coatings. More oxidized basalts may readily react with SO2 to form coatings dominated by large Ca‐sulfate and oxide grains. On less oxidized basalts (NNO−1.5 to NNO−5), reactions with SO2 will form thin, fine‐grained aggregates of sulfates; such materials are less readily detected by spectroscopy and spectrometry techniques. In contrast, in very reduced basalts (lower than NNO−5), typical of the Moon and Mercury, SO2 is typically a negligible component in the magmatic gas, and sulfides are more likely.

Atomistics of pre-nucleation layering of liquid metals at the interface with poor nucleants

Liquid layering at heterogeneous solid/liquid interfaces is a general phenomenon, which provides structural templates for nucleation of crystalline phases on potent nucleants. However, its efficacy near poor nucleants is incompletely understood. Here we use a combination of X-ray crystal truncation rod analysis and ab initio molecular dynamics to probe the pre-nucleation liquid layering at the sapphire–aluminium solid/liquid interface. At the sapphire side, a ~1.6 aluminium-terminated structure develops, and at the liquid side, two pre-nucleation layers emerge at 950 K. No more pre-nucleation layer forms with decreasing temperature indicating that nucleation of crystalline aluminium through layer-by-layer atomic adsorption of liquid atoms is not favoured. Instead, the appearance of stochastically-formed nuclei near the substrate is supported by our experiments. Nucleation on poor nucleants is dominated by the stochastic nucleation events which are substantially influenced by the pre-nucleation layers that determine the surface structure in contact with the nuclei.

Effect of Ca in P-doped basaltic glass-ceramics: Application to waste inertization

A sewage sludge composition is simulated by adding CaO and P2O5 to a basalt in order to produce glasses with low viscosity at high temperatures. Raman spectroscopy shows the presence of Q0 and Q2 silicate groups. The increase of Vickers microhardness is related to an nucleation of crystalline phases (magnetite, diopside, akermanite) that crystallize upon thermal treatments. Raman spectroscopy has given information on the presence of Q0 and Q2 silicate groups. These new glass-ceramics may be used as starting compositions for the immobilization of other industrial wastes.

Phase formation and stability in TiO x and ZrO x thin films: Extremely sub-stoichiometric functional oxides for electrical and TCO applications

Abstract Most functional materials are thermodynamic equilibrium phases representing minima in the thermodynamic phase space. However, it is expected that many metastable phases with highly interesting properties also exist. Here, we report on a systematic approach to prepare thin-films of such non-equilibrium phases based on the gas phase deposition methods sputtering and pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Our synthetic strategy is to deposit a “precursor phase” which is amorphous or already a crystalline non-equilibrium phase. Subsequent heat treatment leads to the nucleation of crystalline phases which again may be metastable or stable compounds. In the present paper we focus on the binary systems Ti–O and Zr–O, both systems being widely applied and technologically relevant. Highly oxygen-deficient titanium oxide (TiO1.6) and zirconium oxide (ZrO) films prepared by pulsed laser deposition at room temperature are optically absorbing and possess electronic conductivities in the range of 10 S/cm. Both materials are metastable in respect to both composition and structure. For TiO1.6 we find an amorphous matrix with embedded grains of cubic titanium monoxide (γ-TiO) directly after deposition. Upon annealing nanocrystalline grains of metallic Ti are formed in the amorphous matrix due to an internal solid-state disproportionation whereas the electrical conductivity of the films increases and comes close to metal-like conductivity (1000 S/cm) at about 450 °C. Congruently, room temperature deposited ZrO films with an average composition of Zr:O= 1:1 contain small ZrO nanocrystals within an amorphous matrix. Heat treatment again leads to an internal disproportionation reaction whereas small crystals of Zr2O and ZrO2 precipitate at temperatures as low as 75 °C. Increasing the temperature then results in the crystallization of metastable tetragonal ZrO2 at about 400 °C. Sputter deposition allows a subtler control of the oxygen partial pressure. Slightly non-stoichiometric TiO2−x films form a degenerate semiconductor with room temperature conductivities as high as 170 S/cm. Moreover, controlling both, the doping level and the vacancy concentration of these films allows to control the phase formation and the transition temperature between the rutile and anatase TiO2 polymorphs. Niobium doping of sputter deposited TiO2 can lead to films with very high electrical conductivities while maintaining a high optical transmittance demonstrating the potential of the material as an alternative transparent conducting oxide (TCO) with extraordinary properties.

Amorphous iron nanoparticles: special structural and physicochemical features enable chemical dynamic therapy for tumors.

Amorphous metals or alloys, also known as the metallic glasses with a disordered structure on atomic level, have attracted great attentions owing to their special physical properties and extraordinary prosperities [1– 5]. In addition to the excellent plasticity upon heating for easy processing, the absence of grain boundaries leads the bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) to higher strength and better corrosion resistance than conventional metals or alloys, which stimulated widespread researches to hurry their potential as advanced structural materials. However, the severe synthesis conditions, typically the superhigh cooling rate (usually higher than 10 K s) to freeze the molten metal and to suppress the nucleation of crystalline phases, have been being one of the main bottlenecks for the widespread applications of BMGs [6]. Compared with BMGs, nanosized amorphous materials such as amorphous nanoparticles, which combine the advantages of both random arrangement of atoms in amorphous state and nanodimension and are therefore expected to exhibit even more unique and diverse properties, have been rarely explored, most probably due to the difficulties in the successful syntheses of such materials which leaves rooms for researches and developments. Taking amorphous iron nanoparticles (AFe-NPs) as an example, not to mention the possible specificities in electromagnetism such as soft magnetic characteristics and others, it is expected that the randomly arranged iron atoms are active enough to be ionized in mild acidic conditions for on-demand Fe (II) release and to initiate subsequent localized Fenton reaction under the presence of hydrogen peroxide. On the other hand, most solid tumors feature acidic nature (pH = 6.5–6.9) and overproduced hydrogen peroxide, and such a special microenvironment has attracted great interest for the exploration of so-called microenvironment-responsive cancer therapy [7–11]. In fact, acidic microenvironment in tumor has triggered the development of numerous strategies of pHstimuli-responsible controlled drug releases, in which drug is expected to release in acidic tumor but not in neutral normal tissues or blood stream; while cumulative H 2 O 2 in cancer has been exploited to implement specific therapeutic strategies, such as to act as a spontaneous trigger for responsive-drugreleasing chemotherapy or an endogenous O 2 producer for enhanced photodynamic therapy [12–14]. Thus, seemly totally different fields of metallic glasses and cancer therapies find their common points for combination. Amorphous iron nanoparticles: special structural and physicochemical features enable chemical dynamic therapy for tumors

Thermal expansion accompanying the glass-liquid transition and crystallization

We report the linear thermal expansion behaviors of a Zr-based (Vitreloy 1) bulk metallic glass in its as-cast, annealed and crystallized states. Accompanying the glass-liquid transition, the as-cast Vitreloy 1 shows a continuous decrease in the thermal expansivity, whereas the annealed glass shows a sudden increase. The crystallized Vitreloy 1 exhibits an almost unchanged thermal expansivity prior to its melting. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the nucleation of crystalline phases can induce a significant thermal shrinkage of the supercooled liquid, but with the growth of these nuclei, the thermal expansion again dominates. These results are explained in the framework of the potential energy landscape, advocating that the configurational and vibrational contributions to the thermal expansion of the glass depend on both, structure and temperature.

Crystallization of silicon nanoclusters with inert gas temperature control

We analyze the fundamental process of crystallization of silicon nanoclusters by means of molecular dynamics simulations, complemented by magnetron-sputter inert gas condensation, which was used to synthesize polycrystalline silicon nanoclusters with good size control. We utilize two well-established Si interatomic potentials: the Stillinger-Weber and the Tersoff III. Both the simulations and experiments show that upon cooling down by an Ar gas thermal bath, initially liquid, free-standing Si nanocluster can grow multiple crystal nuclei, which drive their transition into polycrystalline solid nanoclusters. The simulations allow detailed analysis of the mechanism, and show that the crystallization temperature is size-dependent and that the probability of crystalline phase nucleation depends on the highest temperature the cluster reaches during the initial condensation and the cooling rate after it.

Revealing the Roles of Desolvation and Molecular Self-Assembly in Crystal Nucleation from Solution: Benzoic and p-Aminobenzoic Acids

There has been much recent interest in the role of solution chemistry and in particular the importance of molecular self-assembly in the nucleation of crystalline phases. Techniques such as FTIR and NMR have highlighted the existence of solution-phase dimers which in many cases mirror the structural synthons found in the resulting macroscopic crystals. However, there are no reported examples in which this new insight into the solution phase has been linked directly to the kinetics of crystal nucleation. Here for the first time, using a combination of solution FTIR, computational chemistry, and measured crystal nucleation rate data, such a link is demonstrated for p-aminobenzoic (PABA) and benzoic acids nucleating from polar and nonpolar solvents. Solute dimerization and desolvation are found to be rate-determining processes in the overall nucleation pathway.

Anodic formation of nanoporous crystalline niobium oxide

The research results of anodic deposition of crystalline niobium oxide are presented in this work. The factors that have an impact on crystalline phase nucleation and its primary growth are revealed. Dependence of morphology and properties of nanoporous niobium oxide on modes of its formation is shown.

Effect of annealing on soft magnetic behavior of nanostructured (Fe0.5Co0.5)73.5Si13.5B9Nb3Cu1 ribbons

Abstract The effects of relaxation and nanocrystallization on magnetic properties of (Fe 0.5 Co 0.5 ) 73.5 Si 13.5 B 9 Nb 3 Cu 1 ribbons have been investigated. Ribbons were melt-spun at wheel speed of 38 m/s and then annealed at different temperatures. The results indicated that the relaxation processes shift the Curie temperature of amorphous phase to the higher temperatures. It was also found that through crystallization phenomena the saturation magnetization increases due to the super-exchange between Fe and Co atoms in the crystalline phase. A slight variation in magnetization was observed at ∼700 °C during heating due to the ordering transition in FeCo system. At early stage of crystalline phase nucleation, coercivity increased due to the rearrangement of the amorphous phase in both structure and chemical composition.

Electrochemical characterization of glass/Al reactions at high temperature

A high temperature Al(−)/glass/stainless steel–O2(+) system, was studied and characterized by SEM and EDS analysis. Indeed, a potential ranging from 1.75 to 1.5V between steel and aluminum, at a temperature above 500°C, has been observed. By connecting this package to a resistance, a current flow was detected. Above the aluminum melting point, there is a reaction between SiO2 glass and metal, with formation of Al2O3 and Si, moreover there is a change in the soda-lime glass composition, a nucleation of crystalline phases in the glass itself, and the formation of a porous layer of alumina, with the typical inhomogeneity of a system heated at this temperature. It seems that the current passing through the glass phase, by the electric field generated by the formation of a metal/air cell, can influence the composition of the glass phase at high temperature and can inhibit the nucleation and the growth of crystalline zones.

Thermodynamics of Zr52.5Cu17.9Ni14.6Al10Ti5 bulk metallic glass forming alloy

Recently, multicomponent glass forming alloys have been found which exhibit extraordinary glass forming ability and cooling rates of less than 100 K/s are sufficient to suppress nucleation of crystalline phases and consequently bulk metallic glass (BMG) is formed. The undercooled melts of BMG systems have high thermal stability in the undercooled region. Therefore, it is interesting to study the thermodynamics of such materials. This article investigates the thermodynamic behavior of a BMG system namely Zr52.5Cu17.9Ni14.6Al10Ti5 by estimating the Gibbs free energy difference ΔG, entropy difference ΔS, enthalpy difference ΔH between the undercooled liquid and corresponding equilibrium crystalline solid phase, in the entire temperature range from Tm to TK. Glass forming ability (GFA) of this system has been investigated through various GFA parameters indicating the degree of ease of glass formation.