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 Fe69.9−xC7.1Si3.3B5.5P8.7CrxMo2.5Al2.0Co1.0 (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.