Two-glassy-phase bulk metallic glass with remarkable plasticity

Using the computational-thermodynamic approach, the potential compositions of Zr-Cu-Ni-Al alloy system exhibiting the two-liquid miscibility phase equilibrium in the liquid temperature region have been identified. The resulting Zr base bulk metallic glasses show a microstructure of two microscaled glassy phases. The glass possesses a remarkable macroscopic plastic strain of 30% at room temperature. The gain of mechanical properties is attributed to the unique glassy structure correlated with the chemical inhomogeneity on the micron scale, the hard phases surrounded by the soft phases, leading extensive shear-band formation, interactions, and multiplication. (C) 2007 American Institute of Physics.