Characterization of a marginal glass former alloy solidified in gas atomized powders

Al90Sm10, a marginal glass former, was rapidly solidified using high pressure gas atomization (HPGA). Rapid solidification is a non-equilibrium process, with different degrees of departure from full equilibrium constituting a microstructural hierarchy that correlates with increasing solidification rate. In accordance with this the resultant HPGA powders show a variety of microstructures according to their particle diameters, corresponding to degree of undercooling, with an amorphous structure appearing at high cooling rates. Five distinct phases and microstructures have been identified at differen