Effects of tungsten contents on the microstructure, mechanical and anticorrosion properties of Zr–W–Ti thin film metallic glasses

• Four Zr–W–Ti thin film metallic glasses (TFMGs) were grown by a magnetron co-sputtering unit.
• The W content of TFMGs ranges from 20.0 to 31.5 at.%.
• The hardness of TFMGs increases with W content and reaches 7.6 GPa.
• Good adhesion and anti-corrosion properties are found for Zr–W–Ti TFMGs.

While thin film metallic glass (TFMG) materials have been studied widely due to their easy fabrication process and unique properties, the W-based or W-containing TFMGs have yet to be explored extensively. In this work, four W-containing Zr–W–Ti TFMGs were fabricated by a magnetron co-sputtering system. The power of W target was adjusted to obtain TFMGs with different W concentrations. The amorphous phase of TFMG was determined by X-ray diffraction and high resolution transmission electron microscopy. In cross-sectional morphologies, a vein fracture pattern was observed using field-emission scanning electron microscopy. Although the hardness of W-containing Zr–W–Ti TFMG was not very high, the hardness of coating increased with increasing W content to reach 7.6 GPa. Good adhesion quality and adequate corrosion resistance were also obtained for each Zr–W–Ti TFMGs.