Recovery of the shear modulus of relaxed bulk glassy Pd40Cu30Ni10P20 by cooling from elevated temperatures at low rates

We found that the room-temperature shear modulus of a relaxed bulk metallic glass decreases   with the cooling rate T˙ upon cooling from elevated temperatures even though T˙ is only a few K/min. The effect is observed as a result of cooling not only from the supercooled liquid state but also from a wide range of temperatures below the glass transition. A possible reason for the effect is discussed.

Research highlights
► Precise in situ measurements of the shear modulus.
► Room-temperature shear modulus of a relaxed bulk glass decreases upon cooling from elevated temperatures.
► The effect takes place even if the cooling rate is a few K/min.