Preparation of Zr60Ni21Al19 bulk metallic glass and compression behavior under high pressure

Abstract

Zr60Ni21Al19 metallic glass rod, with a diameter of 8 mm, is manufactured by copper mold casting. The as-cast bulk metallic glass (BMG) exhibits nearly zero plastic strain, but a high strength of 1.88 GPa. The compression behavior of this new zirconium-base ternary BMG under high pressure at ambient temperature in a diamond-anvil cell instrument has been unraveled using energy dispersive x-ray diffraction with a synchrotron radiation source. The investigation shows that the amorphous structure of Zr60Ni21Al19 is stable under pressures up to 24.5 GPa at room temperature. According to the Bridgman equation of state, the bulk modulus B0 = 96 GPa has been obtained.