Compositional-induced structural change in ZrxNi100−x thin film metallic glasses

The structure of ZrxNi100−x thin film metallic glasses (TFMGs) has been studied for a variety of compositions obtained by DC magnetron sputtering using a composite ZrNi target. The crystallization has been characterized by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy revealing also short and medium range order for amorphous compositions. The TFMGs thermodynamic stability has been evaluated by exploiting the Nagel and Tauc criterion, justifying the occurrence of crystallization in the Zr-rich specimens.