Thermal stability and crystallization kinetics of Cu-Zr-Al-Ag BMGs investigated with isothermal electrical resistance measurement

The thermal stability and crystallization kinetics of the Cu x Zr84-x Al8Ag8 (x = 42, 40, 38, and 36) bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) were studied by measurement of isothermal electrical-resistance. As the composition becomes richer in Zr, the longer incubation time at the same relative annealing temperature, and the larger local activation energy needed to achieve the same crystallized volume-fraction, indicate improved thermal stability, which resists crystallization. The improved thermal stability is attributed to a denser atomic random-stacking structure and larger negative heat-of-mixing. During isothermal annealing processes, the four BMGs exhibited the same nucleation mechanism, which is a decreasing rate of nucleation over time. However, the crystal growth mechanisms of the four BMGs are different. The crystallization of the Cu36Zr48Al8Ag8 and Cu38Zr46Al8Ag8 BMGs is interface-controlled growth, contrasting with diffusion-controlled growth for the Cu40Zr44Al8Ag8 and Cu42Zr42Al8Ag8 alloys. The different growth modes may be caused by fluctuations in composition due to changes in the quantity and distribution of Cu-rich and Ag-rich regions.