Tailored plasticity of Zr-based bulk metallic glass by controlling the static holding time of melt before quenching

Abstract

In this study, the plasticity of a Zr₆₀Ni₂₅Al₁₅ bulk metallic glass (BMG) was controlled by the static holding time of melt before quenching. It had been found that when the static holding time was 4 min, the Zr₆₀Ni₂₅Al₁₅ BMG had the plasticity of 6.4%, however, when the static holding time was above or less than 4 min, the plasticity would decrease. The main reason for the different plasticity was the oxygen content of Zr₆₀Ni₂₅Al₁₅ BMGs at different static holding times. The appropriate oxygen content led to the blue shift of the valence band spectrum of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of Zr₆₀Ni₂₅Al₁₅ BMG. The nanoindentation test indicated that there were more soft regions of the Zr₆₀Ni₂₅Al₁₅ BMG with the static holding time of 4 min compared with the others. The mechanism of the different plasticity of the Zr₆₀Ni₂₅Al₁₅ BMGs under different static holding times was discussed.