Improved thermal stability and ductility of flux-treated Pd40Ni40Si4P16 BMG

In this paper, we report on significantly enhanced plasticity in addition to improvement of thermal stability in Pd40Ni40Si4P16 bulk metallic glass (BMG) by flux treatment. With fluxing, the plastic strain was remarkably enhanced from approximately 3% to up to 52%, which likely correlates with a larger volume of shear transformation zones. It is suggested that the flux treatment is not only a good approach to improve the thermal stability but may be a promising way to enhance the plasticity of BMGs.