Effect of plasma electrolytic oxidation treatment on the mechanical properties of a Zr-Cu-Ni-Ti-Al bulk metallic glass

In this study, the effect of plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) treatment on the mechanical properties of a Zr52.5Cu25Ni9.5Ti6Al7 BMG was investigated by compression test. It was found that the PEO treatment can improve the room-temperature plasticity. After 30 min treatment, the plastic strain of BMG increases from 2.5% to 6.2%. The results indicated that the in-situ formed PEO coating can not only act as physical constraint to consume the kinetic energy of the propagating shear band, but also can introduce nucleation sites for shear bands due to stress concentration and compositional inhomogeneity. The present results provide a promising method to enhance the plasticity of BMGs through surface PEO treatment.