Effects of Cr contents in Fe-based bulk metallic glasses on the glass forming ability and the corrosion resistance

Fe-based bulk metallic glasses of Fe_69.9?xC_7.1Si_3.3B_5.5P_8.7Cr_xMo_2.5Al_2.0Co_1.0 (x = 0.0, 2.3–12.3) with high glass forming ability and good corrosion resistance were fabricated using industrial raw materials. Glass forming ability of the Fe-based bulk metallic glasses tends to decrease with the Cr content, while the corrosion resistance increases with the Cr content. A homogeneous passive layer on the amorphous sample with 12.3 at% Cr can be formed leading to superior corrosion resistance of the amorphous sample to an austenitic stainless steel (SUS304) in the 0.5 M H₂SO₄ and 1N HCl solutions at 298 K. Fe-based bulk metallic glasses with an optimum combination of glass forming ability and corrosion resistance can be produced in large quantities through a systematic control of the Cr content for extensive practical applications.     

Compression behaviour and micro-structure evaluation of Zr57Nb5Cu15.4Ni12.6Al10 bulk metallic glass under high pressure

Compression behaviour and micro-structure evaluation of Zr₅₇Nb₅Cu_15.4Ni_12.6Al₁₀ bulk metallic glass is investigated at room temperature up to 32.8 GPa using in-situ high pressure energy dispersive X-ray diffraction with a synchrotron radiation source. The equation of state of the bulk metallic glass is − ΔV / V = 0.012P − 2.49 × 10^− 4P² − 9.5 × 10^− 7P³ + 5.02 × 10^− 8P⁴. The result shows that the nearest atom pair of the as-quenched bulk metallic glass corresponds to Zr–Zr correlations. And with pressure increasing, the nearest atom pair changes to a new one at 32.8 GPa.     

Formation of ferromagnetic bulk amorphous Fe40Ni40P14B6 alloys

Ferromagnetic bulk amorphous Fe₄₀Ni₄₀P₁₄B₆ alloy rods with a diameter of ∼ 1.2 mm can be prepared by means of a rapid quenching technique. If a fluxing technique is also used, amorphous rods with a diameter as large as ∼ 2.5 mm can be synthesized. The critical cooling rate R_c for the glass formation Fe₄₀Ni₄₀P₁₄B₆ is estimated to be on the order of 10² K s^− 1.     

Composition design and mechanical properties of ternary Cu–Zr–Ti bulk metallic glasses

The new compositions of ternary Cu–Zr–Ti bulk metallic glasses are predicted by integrating calculation of vacancy formation energy, mixing enthalpy and configuration entropy of the alloys based on thermodynamics of glass formers. The monolithic amorphous rods of 3 mm diameter have been successfully fabricated, and characterized by X-ray diffractometry, differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electronic microscopy, transmission electronic microscopy and compression tests. The results show that the designed alloys possess good glass forming ability and excellent mechanical properties. The mechanical properties of the samples can be effectively improved by regulating their composition. The monolithic amorphous rod of Cu₅₀Zr₄₄Ti₆ exhibits a high fracture strength of 1855 MPa and excellent plastic deformation up to ∼7.4%. The formation and propagation of shear bands in samples are also investigated. The enhancement of plastic deformation is mainly contributed to multiplication and intersection of shear bands.     

Pseudo-quinary Ti20Zr20Hf20Be20(Cu20 -xNix) high entropy bulk metallic glasses with large glass forming ability

A series of pseudo-quinary Ti₂₀Zr₂₀Hf₂₀Be₂₀(Cu_20 -xNi_x) (x = 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5, 15, 17.5 and 20 at.%) high entropy bulk metallic glasses (HE-BMGs) with large glass forming ability (GFA) were successfully prepared by copper mold tilt-casing. The critical diameters (D_c) of these HE-BMGs are all above 12 mm. In particular, the developed Ti₂₀Zr₂₀Hf₂₀Be₂₀(Cu_7.5Ni_12.5) and Ti₂₀Zr₂₀Hf₂₀Be₂₀Ni₂₀ high entropy alloys (HEAs) can be produced in the amorphous state with diameters up to 30 mm and 15 mm, respectively, which are the largest HE-BMG and quinary HE-BMG hitherto. The two HE-BMGs also exhibit high yield strength, together with the plastic strain values of (3.0 ± 1.1) % and (4.0 ± 0.9) %, respectively. With increasing Ni additions in the pseudo-quinary HEAs, the crystallization growth resistance and thermal stability have been improved, which is apparently due to the sluggish diffusion of the atoms in the HEAs.     

Crystallization kinetics,mineralization and crack propagation in partially crystallized bioactive glass 45S5

Thermal treatment of bioactive glass ceramics dictates many important features such as microstructure, degree of crystallinity, mechanical properties, and biological response. This report investigates the heat treating conditions and the Avrami crystallization kinetics of melt cast bioactive glass 45S5 at 680 °C. Glass discs were found to follow three dimensional bulk crystallization kinetics (Avrami exponent n = 3). Partially crystallized bioactive glass samples were subjected to in vitro immersion testing to assist a comparative study of the adhesion capabilities of the mineralized layer formed on crystalline and amorphous regions. Higher adhesion of the mineralized layer to the amorphous region was observed as compared to its crystalline counterpart. Furthermore, Palmqvist crack propagation in amorphous and partially crystallized bioactive glass was studied. The crack paths in amorphous bioactive glass were straight, yet crack deflections were observed in the crystalline regions, likely attributed to different crystallographic orientations of crystals or residual thermal mismatch strains present in the bioglass ceramic. Hence, the mineralized layer interfacial fracture toughness and bulk fracture toughness of bioglass ceramics are different from their amorphous counterpart.     

Defect annealing processes for polycrystalline silicon thin-film solar cells

A variety of defect healing methods was analyzed for optimization of polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) thin-film solar cells on glass. The films were fabricated by solid phase crystallization of amorphous silicon deposited either by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) or by electron-beam evaporation (EBE). Three different rapid thermal processing (RTP) set-ups were compared: A conventional rapid thermal annealing oven, a dual wavelength laser annealing system and a movable two sided halogen lamp oven. The two latter processes utilize focused energy input for reducing the thermal load introduced into the glass substrates and thus lead to less deformation and impurity diffusion. Analysis of the structural and electrical properties of the poly-Si thin films was performed by Suns-V_OC measurements and Raman spectroscopy. 1 cm² cells were prepared for a selection of samples and characterized by I–V-measurements. The poly-Si material quality could be extremely enhanced, resulting in increase of the open circuit voltages from about 100 mV (EBE) and 170 mV (PECVD) in the untreated case up to 480 mV after processing.     

The role of a low-energy–density re-scan in fabricating crack-free Al85Ni5Y6Co2Fe2 bulk metallic glass composites via selective laser melting

In this paper, we have investigated the use of a re-scanning strategy to prevent propagation of macro-cracks during the selective laser melting of an Al₈₅Ni₅Y₆Co₂Fe₂ bulk metallic glass composites (BMGCs). These cracks form as a result of the high residual stress caused by the rapid heating and cooling of the material by the laser beam. Unlike crystalline materials, the BMGCs possess a supercooled liquid region in which the residual stress can be relieved by plastic flow. We show that by using a high power initial scan (designed to melt the material) followed by a lower power re-scan (for stress relief) cracking can be prevented. Using this approach, crack-free Al₈₅Ni₅Y₆Co₂Fe₂ BMGCs components have been fabricated, including a gear with a diameter ∼25 mm and height ∼10 mm.     

Atomic configuration evaluation of Zr60Ni21Al19 bulk metallic glass under high pressure

The atomic configuration evaluation in Zr₆₀Ni₂₁Al₁₉ bulk metallic glass at high pressures has been revealed by using in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction. The radial distribution function is gained by Fourier transformation. The investigation shows that the amorphous structure is retained and the coordination number keeps 12.0 within the experimental pressures (0–24.5 GPa). The quantitative determination of the neighbor atomic distance suggests that high pressure alters topological but not chemical short range ordering through shortening the second nearest neighbor atomic distance. The atomic coordination is analyzed by the inherent chemical parameters of the ternary Zr₆₀Ni₂₁Al₁₉ amorphous alloy.     

High yield strength bulk Ti based bimodal ultrafine eutectic composites with enhanced plasticity

Ti-based bulk metallic glass (BMGs) and their bimodal composites are linked with the pronounced strain hardening after yielding but with much low value of strength. Therefore, developing Ti-based alloys with high yield strength and high plasticity is the current challenge. Here, we report the synthesis of ultra-fine grained bulk (UFG) (Ti_0.705Fe_0.295)_100−xGa_x (0 ⩽ x ⩽ 2) bimodal eutectic composites with not only high strength and larger plasticity but also with high yield strength which is one of the important mechanical property for structural application. Reasonably high strength, high yield strength, strain to failure ratio, and enhanced plasticity of ∼7 ± 0.8% was observed in (Ti_70.5Fe_29.5)₉₈Ga₂ composite which is superior than Ti-based BMGs and bimodal composites. Modification of degree of eutectic structure refinement and volume fraction of constituent phases with the addition of Ga are the crucial factors in enhancing the mechanical properties of Ti–Fi–(Ga) composites.     

Hydrogen‐enhanced plastic deformation during indentation for bulk metallic glass of Zr65Al7.5Ni10Cu17.5

The effect of hydrogen charging on shear bands and plastic zone during Vickers indentation for Zr₆₅Al_7.5Ni₁₀Cu_17.5 bulk metallic glass has been studied. The results showed that hardness increased gradually with charging time and reached saturation. The shear bands and the size of the plastic zone on the surface and subsurface of indentation increased evidently when charging time was less then 40 h at i = 10 mA/cm² or 10 h at i = 100 mA/cm², respectively. After that, the size of the plastic zone began to reduce with charging time because hydrogen blisterings began formation and growth.     

Enhanced initial permeability and magneto-impedance ratio of Co67Fe4Mo2Si15B12

Co-based amorphous alloy exhibits superior soft magnetic properties after appropriate annealing treatment below the crystallization temperature by devitrification of the amorphous phase. The initiation of crystallization temperature has been found as 518 °C from differential thermal analysis for the heating rate of 10 °C/min. Ultra-soft magnetic properties manifested by enhanced initial permeability, μ′ of the order of 5.1 × 10⁴ and reduction of relative loss factor, tan δ/μ′ of the order of 9 × 10^− 6 has been achieved for the annealing temperature of 500 °C for 30 min. This has been achieved because at this stage local anisotropy is averaged out by exchange coupling between nanograins embedded in the residual amorphous matrix. Since enhanced magneto-impedance is a typical characteristic of Co-based amorphous alloy, field dependence of magneto-impedance has been measured for as-cast and annealed samples at current driving frequency of 4.5 MHz. Field dependence of magneto-impedance shows hysteresis at low field, which is related to the changes in the magnetization process of the sample.     

Fabrication of NiCr alloy parts by selective laser melting: Columnar microstructure and anisotropic mechanical behavior

NiCr alloy, because of its wide applications in electrical elements and dental field was widely studied in the past. In this work, NiCr cubes and tensile specimens were fabricated by using a new processing technique-selective laser melting (SLM). Microstructural and mechanical behavior characterization of SLM-processed NiCr components was performed. An unusual columnar microstructural architecture composed of 〈1 0 0〉 texture (corresponding to (2 0 0) plane) oriented the building direction was observed. Moreover, it was found that the columnar grain growth across the melt pools occurred during the SLM process and the growth trend became stronger with the decrease of the laser scanning speed. Associated with the microstructural characteristic, an anisotropic mechanical behavior at different reference planes (i.e., at the horizontal and vertical surfaces) was demonstrated for the samples fabricated using different processing parameters. The results showed that with increasing the laser scanning speed, the microhardness at the horizontal surface decreased, while at the vertical surface it increased; an increase of the yield strength (YS) and the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) was observed.     

High-speed deposition of dense,dendritic and porous SiO2 films by Nd: YAG laser chemical vapor deposition

Dense, dendritic and porous SiO₂ films were prepared by laser chemical vapor deposition (LCVD) using a high-power continuous-wave mode Nd: YAG laser (206 W) and a TEOS (tetraethyl orthosilicate) precursor. The effects of laser power (P_L) and total chamber pressure (P_tot) on the microstructure and deposition rate (R_dep) were investigated. Amorphous SiO₂ films were obtained independent of P_L and P_tot. Flame formation was observed between the nozzle and the substrate at P_L > 160 W and P_tot > 15 kPa. At P_L = 206 W, dense, dendritic and porous SiO₂ films were obtained at P_tot < 20 kPa, P_tot = 23 kPa and P_tot > 25 kPa, respectively. The R_dep increased thousands of times under flame formation conditions, the highest R_dep being reached at 1200 μm h^?1, 22,000 μm h^?1 and 28,000 μm h^?1 for the dense, dendritic and porous SiO₂ films, respectively.     

Preparation of TiN–Ti5Si3 in-situ composites by Selective Laser Melting

The Selective Laser Melting (SLM) Rapid Manufacturing (RM) of the high-energy ball milled Ti–Si₃N₄ composite powder with the mol ratio of 9:1 was performed in the present work. The microstructural characterizations revealed the formation of TiN reinforced Ti₅Si₃ matrix composites after laser processing via the in-situ synthesis reaction 9Ti + Si₃N₄ = 4TiN + Ti₅Si₃. The in-situ presented TiN reinforcing phase possessed a refined granular morphology and a uniform distribution throughout the Ti₅Si₃ matrix, showing a clear and compatible interfacial structure with the matrix. The metallurgical mechanisms for the in-situ synthesis of TiN reinforced Ti₅Si₃ matrix composites by SLM were also proposed.     

A new TiCuHfSi bulk metallic glass with potential for biomedical applications

A new Ti_41.3Cu_43.7Hf_13.9Si_1.1 bulk metallic glass (BMG), free of Ni, Al and Be elements, was designed using the proper mixing of binary deep eutectics. The alloy exhibited excellent glass forming ability (GFA) and could be cast into single glassy rod up to 3 mm in diameter by copper mould casting method. The appropriate atomic-size mismatch, the large negative heat of mixing among constituent elements, and the possible formation of glassy HfSiO₄ facilitated its superior GFA. The BMG also showed good mechanical properties with fracture strength of 1685 MPa and Young’s modulus of 95 GPa as well as better corrosion resistance in both NaCl and Hank’s solutions, compared with pure Ti and Ti–6Al–4V alloy. The above results demonstrated that the developed BMG is promising in biomedical applications.     

Martensitic transformation behaviors of rapidly solidified Ti–Ni–Mo powders

For the fabrication of bulk near-net-shape shape memory alloys and porous metallic biomaterials, consolidation of Ti–Ni–Mo alloy powders is more useful than that of elemental powders of Ti, Ni and Mo. Ti₅₀Ni_49.9Mo_0.1 shape memory alloy powders were prepared by gas atomization, and transformation temperatures and microstructures of those powders were investigated as a function of powder size. XRD analysis showed that the B2–R–B19 martensitic transformation occurred in powders smaller than 150 μm. According to DSC analysis of the as-atomized powders, the B2–R transformation temperature (T_R) of the 25–50 μm powders was 18.4 °C. The T_R decreased with increasing powder size, however, the difference in T_R between 25–50 μm powders and 100–150 μm powders is only 1 °C. Evaluation of powder microstructures was based on SEM examination of the surface and the polished and etched powder cross sections and the typical images of the rapidly solidified powders showed cellular morphology. Porous cylindrical foams of 10 mm diameter and 1.5 mm length were fabricated by spark plasma sintering (SPS) at 800 °C and 5 MPa. Finally these porous TiNi alloy samples are heat-treated for 1 h at 850 °C, and then quenched in ice water. The bulk samples have 23% porosity and 4.6 g/cm³ density and their T_R is 17.8 °C.     

Structural and optical properties of In doped Se–Te phase-change thin films: A material for optical data storage

Se_75−xTe₂₅In_x (x = 0, 3, 6, & 9) bulk glasses were obtained by melt quench technique. Thin films of thickness 400 nm were prepared by thermal evaporation technique at a base pressure of 10⁻⁶ Torr onto well cleaned glass substrate. a-Se_75−xTe₂₅In_x thin films were annealed at different temperatures for 2 h. As prepared and annealed films were characterized by X-ray diffraction and UV–Vis spectroscopy. The X-ray diffraction results show that the as-prepared films are of amorphous nature while it shows some poly-crystalline structure in amorphous phases after annealing. The optical absorption spectra of these films were measured in the wavelength range 400–1100 nm in order to derive the extinction and absorption coefficient of these films. It was found that the mechanism of optical absorption follows the rule of allowed non-direct transition. The optical band gap of as prepared and annealed films as a function of photon energy has been studied. The optical band gap is found to decrease with increase in annealing temperature in the present glassy system. It happens due to crystallization of amorphous films. The decrease in optical band gap due to annealing is an interesting behavior for a material to be used in optical storage. The optical band gap has been observed to decrease with the increase of In content in Se–Te glassy system.     

Electrical properties of nanostructures (CoFeZr)x + (Al2O3)1−x with use of alternating current

CoFeZr–Al₂O₃ nanocomposite films of 3–5 μm thickness, containing metallic alloy nanoparticles embedded into the dielectric alumina matrix, have been deposited on a glass ceramic substrate using magnetron sputtering of composite target in Ar gas ambient. Measurements of AC conductance and lagging have been performed within the frequency range of 50 Hz–1 MHz at the temperatures from 79 K to 373 K in the initial (as-deposited) samples as well as directly after their isochronous (15 min) annealings within the temperature range from 398 K to 648 K with 25 K step.The observed variations of real part AC electrical conductivity with temperature and frequency σ_real(T, f) in the as-deposited films display transition from dielectric to metallic behaviour when crossing the percolation threshold x_C in the studied nanocomposites. After annealing of the samples below the x_C the σ_real(T, f) progress follows the hopping law of electron conductivity with sigmoidal frequency dependence. The samples being far beyond the percolation threshold revealed transition from metallic to activational σ_real(T) law after high-temperature annealing attributed to the internal oxidation of metallic nanoparticle by excess of oxygen presented in the as-deposited samples.     

Laser stimulated piezoelectricity in Er3+ doped GeO2–Bi2O3 glasses containing silicon nanocrystals

We report the first observation of the laser stimulated piezoelectricity in Er³⁺ doped GeO₂–Bi₂O₃ glasses containing silicon nanocrystals, prepared using the simple well known melt quenching technique. Two split beams originated from the same nanosecond lasers were used for the performance of the bicolor laser treatment.The fundamental (λ = 1064 nm) and the doubled frequency (λ = 532 nm) signal of a pulsed nanosecond Nd:YAG laser, as the fundamental (λ = 1540 nm) and the doubled frequency (λ = 770 nm) signal of an Er:glass laser were used.The ratio of power densities between the fundamental and the doubled frequency beams has been varied from 4:1 to 8:1. This value was chosen to achieve the maximum output photoinduced piezoelectric response. The present photoinduced piezoelectricity effect opens a new road for obtaining optically operated piezoelectric devices in germanate composites doped with rare-earth ions.