Novel W-based metallic glass with high hardness and wear resistance

An attempt has been made to develop a new metallic glass (MG) that combines high hardness with wear resistance. Refractory metallic films of W33Ni32B35 (at.%) have been deposited on stainless steel and Si substrates by dc magnetron sputtering. The alloy films are glassy, have a high crystallization temperature of 873 degrees C and rank among the very hard metallic materials (similar to 24 GPa). Importantly, this MG also shows excellent wear resistance, approaching that of standard tribological materials like TIN and hence it represents one of the most wear-resistant known metallic materials. Based on its unique combination of high strength and low elastic modulus, other potential applications are also discussed. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.