Thermoplastic Forming of a Hydrophilic Surface with a Nanostructure Array on Zr-Cu-Ni-Al-Y Bulk Metallic Glass

Abstract

The poor thermoplastic formability of reactive Zr-based bulk metallic glass becomes the main limiting factor for replacing the noble-metal-based and Be-rich bulk metallic glasses in nanostructure fabrication. In our work, a (Zr50.7Cu28Ni9Al12.3)98.5Y1.5 bulk metallic glass with good thermoplastic formability has been developed by alloying, where Y addition enlarges the processing window and decreases the viscous resistance of supercooled liquid caused by the high free volume density. The prepared Zr-Cu-Ni-Al-Y bulk metallic glass nanostructure retains the amorphous characteristic and generates the complex oxidization products in the surface layer. The enhanced hydrophilicity of the as-embossed surface follows a Wenzel-impregnating wetting regime, and it can be attributed to the large roughness coefficient induced by the capillary effect. This study provides a low-cost and environmentally friendly bulk metallic glass system to manufacture the nanostructure with a broad prospect in the field of electrocatalysis.