Glass formation, thermal properties, and elastic constants of La–Al–Co alloys

The compositional dependence of glass formation and thermal and elastic properties was clarified for the ternary La–Al–Co bulk glass-forming system. The existing linear correlation between La concentration and characteristic temperatures, i.e., the glass transition temperature T_g and the onset temperature of crystallization T_x, as well as the elastic moduli in this system can give a useful guideline for the chemical design of desirable bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) with tunable physical properties in advance. The relationship between T_g and elastic constants for the La–Al–Co BMGs can be quantitatively described using a microscopic model proposed by T. Egami.