Design of Cu8Zr5-based bulk metallic glasses

Basic polyhedral clusters have been derived from intermetallic compounds at near-eutectic composition by considering a dense packing and random arrangement of atoms at shell sites. Using such building units, bulk metallic glasses can be formed. This strategy was verified in the Cu-Zr binary system, where we have demonstrated the existence of Cu8Zr5 icosahedral clusters in Cu61.8Zr38.2, Cu64Zr36, and Cu64.5Zr35.5 amorphous alloys. Furthermore, ternary bulk metallic glasses can be developed by doping the basic Cu-Zr alloy with a minority element. This hypothesis was confirmed in systems (Cu0.618Zr0.382)(100-x)Nb-x, where x=1.5 and 2.5 at. %, and (Cu0.618Zr0.382)(98)Sn-2. The present results may open a route to prepare amorphous alloys with improved glass forming ability. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.