Improvement of the glass-forming ability of Zr55Cu30Al10Ni5 and Cu47Ti34Zr11Ni8 alloys by electro-deoxidation of the melts

A novel electrochemical method is presented for removing oxygen from glass-forming liquids in a molten-salt electrolyte. The effect of the electrolysis time on the glass-forming ability of Zr55Cu30Al10Ni5 and Cu47Ti34Zr11Ni8 was evaluated. Differential scanning calorimetry traces clearly show a stabilization of the amorphous phase as the electrolysis is performed for longer times, consistent with the hypothesis that the removal of oxygen from the melt improves its glass-forming ability.