Enhanced glass-forming ability of a Sm-based alloy with the addition of La

The effects of La on the glass-forming ability (GFA) of a Sm-based alloy were investigated. By partial substitution of Sm with La in (Sm0.62Al0.14Ni0.12Cu0.12)97Fe3 (at.%) alloy, of which the critical diameter for glass formation is 3 mm, (Sm0.32La0.3Al0.14Ni0.12Cu0.12)97Fe3 glassy rods with a diameter up to 10 mm can be fabricated by copper mold casting. The configuration entropy and critical cooling rate of the Sm–La–Al–Ni–Cu–Fe alloy were calculated. It is indicated that the configuration entropy is increased and the critical cooling rate is decreased with the addition of La, implying that the La-containing alloys exhibit higher GFA than that of the La-free Sm–Al–Ni–Cu–Fe alloy. Moreover, with the addition of La, the Sm-based alloys exhibit reduced Gibbs free energy between the liquid phase and the crystalline phase in the supercooled liquid region and stronger liquid behavior, which are also beneficial to the enhanced GFA of the Sm–La–Al–Ni–Cu–Fe alloys.