Research on Zr50Al15−xNi10Cu25Yx amorphous alloys prepared by mechanical alloying with commercial pure element powders

Amorphous Zr50Al15−xNi10Cu25Yx alloy powders were fabricated by mechanical alloying at low vacuum with commercial pure element powders. The effects on glass forming ability of Al partial substituted by Y in Zr50Al15Ni10Cu25 and thermal stability of Si3N4 powders addition were investigated. The as-milled powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and differential scanning calorimeter. The results show that partial substitution of Al can improve the glass forming ability of Zr50Al15Ni10Cu25 alloy. Minor Si3N4 additions raise the crystallization activation energy of the amorphous phase and thus improve its thermal stability.

Research Highlights
► ZrAlNiCu amorphous alloys can be synthesized by MA in low cost.
► Appropriate amount of Al substituted by Y in ZrAlNiCu alloy can improve its glass forming ability.
► A second phase particle addition helps to improve the thermal stability of the amorphous matrix.