Microstructure Evolution of Zr50Cu18Ni17Al10Ti5 Bulk Metallic Glass during Cold-rolling

Zr50Cu18Ni17Al10Ti5 bulk metallic glass has been rolled at room temperature up to 95% in thickness reduction, and the dependence of microstructure on the strain was investigated. With increasing thickness reduction, the full width at half maximum (FWHM) and crystallization enthalpy decrease gradually till 80%, and then increase evidently at 95%. It is revealed that the reversible transition between the ordered and disordered atomic configurations was found in the metallic glass as the deformation proceeds, which is further verified by the high-resolution transmission electron microscopy images. The final microstructure in metallic glass during cold-rolling is the net result of two competing processes between shear-induced disordering and diffusion controlled reordering.