Influence of amorphous degree on crystallization kinetics of Zr60Al15Ni25 bulk metallic glass

The microstructure of as-cast Zr60Al15Ni25 bulk metallic glass was investigated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. It is found that there exist numerous short-range order regions (SRORs) in the metallic glass though it is identified to be amorphous by X-ray diffraction method. Furthermore, the amorphous degree shows a close correlation with the microstructure of corresponding mother ingot. The crystallization kinetics was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry under isochronal and isothermal conditions. The results show that the crystallization is triggered by the growth of the pre-existing SRORs and the growth is three-dimension diffusion-controlled. The amorphous degree of Zr60Al15Ni25 bulk metallic glass considerably influences its crystallization kinetics, namely, the more homogeneous distribution of atoms results in a more sluggish nucleation behavior.