Effect of substituting elements on thermal stability and glass-forming ability of an Al-based AlNiEr metallic glass

Addition of a small amount of La and Co enhances the stabilization of supercooled liquid and glass-forming ability (GFA) of an Al85Ni7Er8 metallic glass. The Al85Ni5Co2Er6La2 alloy exhibits large supercooled liquid region of 40 K, high GFA with a critical thickness of 450 μm, and the viscosities on the order of 107−109 Pa s in the supercooled liquid state. The Al-based glassy nano-scale patterns were formed by imprinting, indicating its good thermoplastic formability. The possible mechanism for the improvement of the supercooled liquid stability of the AlNiEr alloy by addition of La and Co elements was discussed in terms of the crystallization behavior.