High glass-forming ability and good mechanical properties of new bulk glassy alloys in Cu–Zr–Ag ternary system

Abstract

The addition of Ag to Cu–Zr alloys is very effective for the increase in the stability of supercooled liquid as well as the glass-forming ability (GFA). The large supercooled liquid region (ΔTx) exceeding 60 K in Cu–Zr–Ag ternary system was obtained in a wide range of 25–55 at.% Cu, 40–65 at.% Zr, and 5–25 at.% Ag. The best GFA was obtained around Cu45Zr45Ag10, and glassy alloy rods with diameters up to 6.0 mm were formed by copper mold casting. The bulk glassy alloys exhibit good mechanical properties, i.e., compressive fracture strength of 1780–1940 MPa, Young's modulus of 106–112 GPa, compressive plastic elongation of 0.2–2.9%, and Vickers hardness of 534–599. The finding of the new Cu–Zr–Ag ternary glassy alloy system with high GFA and good mechanical properties is important for development and scientific studies of bulk glassy alloys.