Bridging the local configurations and crystalline counterparts of bulk metallic glass by nanocalorimetry

The structural understanding of crystallization in bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) has attracted much attention while rapid crystallization occurring under controllable conditions is less involved. In this study, a CeAlCuCo (at.%) BMG was thermally devitrified by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and nanocalorimetry. At a heating rate of 10 K/min by DSC, AlCe and Ce are the major crystalline phases after devitrification while AlCo quasicrystals and Ce are the dominant phases in the crystallization products at a heating rate of 5000 K/s by nanocalorimetry. Attributing to the covalent-like bond in Al-Co atom pairs, AlCo quasicrystals precipitate in the primary crystallization and work as the precursors associating local atomic configurations in the glassy state with crystalline phases after crystallization. Attributing to the enhanced mobility of Cu atoms, compositional redistribution occurs in the as-cast sample. On nanocalorimetry heating, an unambiguous discrepancy in the nucleation and growth of the nano-sized AlCo quasicrystals is thus triggered, contributing to an obvious difference in the crystal size. This research unveils the distinct crystallization behaviors of Ce-based BMG on rapid heating. The formation of quasicrystals demonstrates the multi-stage crystallization on rapid heating and bridges the structural gap between local atomic configurations of metallic glasses and crystalline phases.