Crystallization Behavior of Amorphous Zr55Cu20Ni10Al10Ti5 Alloy

In the present study, the crystallization behavior and thermal stability of amorphous Zr55Cu20Ni10Al10Ti5 alloy, obtained by melt-spinning, have been investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential thermal analysis (DTA) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The activation energy for crystallization has been evaluated by the Kissinger method, and it has been found that Ex obtained from the crystallization onset temperature (Tx) is lower than Ep determined by the crystallization peak temperature (TP). During the continuous annealing process, ZrO and h-Al3Zr5 phases firstly precipitate from the amorphous matrix, then Zr2Ni0.66O0.33 phase forms continuously and its relative content increases with increasing annealing temperature. However, no crystalline phases have been observed during the isothermal annealing process at 733 K (below Tx) for 90 min. The atomic clusters can keep the stability state through adjusting the short-range ordering.