Proposed interpretation for possible solid-state amorphization in some Cu-based binary metal systems

According to a recently proposed criterion for solid-state amorphization to take place in a binary metal system, it is necessary to have a negative thermodynamic factor DeltaF defined as a Gibbs free energy difference between an amorphous phase and the initial energetic state of the multilayers/or bilayer together with a relevantly large kinetic factor kappa correlated to a diffusivity difference between the constituent metals of the system. The criterion is employed to discuss the possibility of solid-state amorphization in five representative Cu-based binary metal systems featuring either positive or negative heat of mixing. It turns out that the prediction based on the above argument for these Cu-based systems is in good agreement with the experimental results observed so far. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(00)00750-6].