A Cu-based amorphous alloy with a simultaneous improvement in its glass forming ability and plasticity

Abstract

An amorphous alloy, Cu43Zr43Al7Be7, was synthesized. The alloy showed a large supercooled liquid region (115 degrees C), a significant glass forming ability (phi 12 mm) and considerable strain to fracture (8-9 %), which collectively have not been observed in other Cu-based amorphous alloys. The alloy has a unique microstructure characterized by atomic-scale phase separation, which most likely resulted from the large difference in the mixing enthalpy between the binary pairs. This study discusses a possible mechanism underlying the simultaneous enhancement in the GFA and plasticity by considering the atomic packing state and atomic-scale compositional separation resulting from Al and Be.