Pressure Effect on Crystallization of Zr55Cu30Al10Ni5 Bulk Metallic Glass

The effect of pressure on the variation of the crystallization phases of the Zr55Cu30Al10Ni5 bulk glass and its thermal stability under high pressure annealing was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The mode of crystallization and products of crystallization of the Zr55Cu30Al10Ni5 bulk glass were quite different under different pressure. At ambient pressure, the crystallization products consisted of NiZr2 and CuZr2, while at pressure of 1 GPa and 3 GPa, the alloys crystallized into NiZr2 and Cu10Zr7, respectively. The alloy was nearly not crystallized and only a small amount of Cu10Zr7 was precipitated under 5 GPa. DSC proved that the mode of the crystallization under high pressure was different from that at ambient pressure.