Crystallization of amorphous Ti40.7Hf9.5Ni41.8Cu8 alloy during the low-frequency mechanical vibrations at room temperature

The influence of the low-frequency vibrations at room temperature on the structure of an amorphous Ti40.7Hf9.5Ni41.8Cu8 thin ribbon was studied by X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. It was found that mechanical vibrations for 1 h led to the formation of crystalline clusters that were several nanometres in size. An increase in the duration of the mechanical vibrations to 4 h resulted in the growth of the clusters until the formation of crystalline walls that surrounded amorphous islands. It was assumed that this process was due to the beta relaxation that occurred during the low-frequency vibration. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.