Crystallization kinetics in Cu35Ag15Zr45Al15 metallic glass

Thermal stability and crystallization kinetics of an as-prepared Cu35Ag15Zr45Al15 metallic glass have been investigated by differential scanning calorimeter and X-ray diffraction. It is found that Cu35Ag15Zr45Al15 has a supercooled liquid region as large as 114 K at a heating rate of 40 K/min. Crystallization kinetic studies show that glass transition as well as crystallization behave in a typical kinetic nature with Kauzmann temperature Tk about 610 K and activation energies of E-g =483 +/- 75 kJ/mol and E-x =253 +/- 8 kJ/mol for glass transition and crystallization, respectively. The addition of Ag in the Cu-Zr-Al alloy system might improve the packing efficiency and increase the complexity of the system. Consequently, an excellent thermal stability is achieved for the Cu35Ag15Zr45Al5 metallic glass. (C) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.