Mechanism of crystallization of the Ni70Mo10B20 alloy above the glass transition temperature

The phase transformations occurring in the Ni70Mo10B20 alloy in the course of heating above the glass transition temperature are investigated using x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution electron microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. It is shown that annealing of the alloy above the glass transition temperature leads to segregation of the amorphous phase into regions enriched with and depleted in molybdenum and/or boron. An increase in the temperature or time of annealing is accompanied by primary crystallization in regions of each type. Crystallization of the regions enriched with molybdenum results in the formation of face-centered cubic crystals of a molybdenum solid solution in nickel (phase 2). Nickel boride crystallizes in the regions enriched with boron. The face-centered cubic phase (phase 1), which is similar to pure nickel, crystallizes in the regions depleted in molybdenum and boron. Nanocrystals of phase I are free of defects. Nanocrystals of phase 2 with larger sizes contain a great number of defects.