Local structure of equilibrium and supercooled Ti-Zr-Ni liquids

Recently, we reported the results of experimental in situ high-energy x-ray diffraction studies of electrostatically levitated equilibrium and supercooled metallic elements and alloy liquids, showing evidence for icosahedral short-range ordering (ISRO). In this paper, these studies are extended to binary Ti-Zr and ternary Ti-Zr-Ni alloys. From a cluster-based analysis of the x-ray structure factors, it is concluded that ISRO in the binary alloys becomes progressively more dominant, and the coherence length of the order becomes longer, with the addition of Ni, especially near the concentration of 21 at. % Ni. The effect of chemical interactions among Ti/Zr-Ni and the atomic size on the stabilization of the ISRO is discussed.