The effect of Gd addition on the glass-forming ability of Cu–Zr–Al alloy

A new Cu-based bulk metallic glass of 10 mm diameter was successfully prepared by a conventional copper mold casting method using alloy Cu46Zr45Al7Gd2. The addition of Gd effectively alleviates the harmful effects of oxygen in the melt by the preferential formation of gadolinium oxide and significantly increases the glass-forming ability. The Trg = Tg/Tm reaches a maximum value of 0.694 for the Cu46Zr45Al7Gd2 alloy, which is consistent with the experimental results.