Temperature dependence of MeV-electron-irradiation-induced nanocrystallization in Zr–Pt metallic glass

MeV electron irradiation introduces density fluctuations in metallic glass, which lead to nanocrystallization at temperatures of 298 K and below in Zr80Pt20 metallic glass. This density fluctuation corresponds to the formation of a Frenkel pair, i.e., a vacancy–interstitial pair in the metallic crystal. Phase selection in MeV-electron-irradiation-induced crystallization exhibits temperature dependence. Two f.c.c. crystalline phases were reduced to one f.c.c. phase when the temperature was reduced from 298 K to 20 K. The formation of the quasicrystal (QC) phase during thermal crystallization affects MeV-electron-irradiation-induced crystallization.