Deformation behavior of a Ti-based bulk metallic glass composite with excellent cryogenic mechanical properties

•A novel cryogenic mechanical properties for the present composite are obtained.•Plastic dendrite is responsible for the present cryogenic plasticity of composite.•Continuous matrix other than the dendrites initiates the fracture behavior.•In situ bulk metallic glass composites could be promising cryogenic materials.

Excellent mechanical properties as high as 2760 MPa fracture strength and 18.4% plastic strain are obtained in Ti48Zr20Nb12Cu5Be15 bulk-metallic-glass (BMG) composite at cryogenic temperature (77 K). The novel cryogenic plasticity of present composite is determined by good cryogenic plasticity of dendrites induced effective interaction between dendrites and shear bands. Improved cryogenic yield strength of dendrites is responsible for the increase of cryogenic yield strength of the present composite. Continuous matrix other than the dendrites is believed to initiate the fracture behavior. This finding demonstrates that in situ dendrite-reinforced BMG composites can be a kind of promising materials for low-temperature applications.