Glass-forming ability and corrosion resistance of Zr-based Zr–Ni–Al bulk metallic glasses

Zr–Ni–Al metallic glass samples with diameters above 10 mm could be produced in a wide composition range of 54–64 at.% Zr, 21–27 at.% Ni, and 11–21 at.% Al by a copper mold casting method. The best glass-forming ability was obtained for Zr60Ni25Al15 and Zr58Ni27Al15 alloys, and the glassy samples with diameters up to 15 mm were fabricated. The Zr60Ni25Al15 bulk metallic glass possesses high compressive yield strength of over 1740 MPa with large plastic strain above 3.0%, and the mechanical properties and fracture mode are almost independent of the cast sample size or the position within the rod where the samples have been machined. In addition, the bulk metallic glass shows high corrosion resistance in chloride-ion-containing solutions.

► Composition dependence of GFA in Zr–Al–Ni system has been systematically studied.
► Zr60Ni25Al15 and Zr58Ni27Al15 BMGs have a largest sample diameter of 1.5 cm.
► Zr60Ni25Al15 BMGs with different sample size and sites exhibit similar plasticity.
► Zr60Ni25Al15 BMG shows high corrosion resistance in Cl-ion-containing solutions.