Effects of Mo addition on the metallic glass formation of (ZrNi)100−xMox alloys

The formation of (ZrNi)100−xMox metallic glasses was predicated by thermodynamic calculation. It is found that the (ZrNi)100−xMox metallic glasses could be formed in the composition range of 0-64 at.% Mo, and the minor addition of Mo could facilitate the formation of the (ZrNi)100−xMox metallic glasses. To verify thermodynamic prediction, ion beam mixing experiments were carried out. The results showed that no unique amorphous phase would be formed when the addition of Mo was higher than 60 at.%, indicating that the thermodynamic prediction is reasonable. Besides, the possible formation mechanisms of these metastable phases were discussed in terms of phase competition and the atomic collision theory.