Determination of activation energy for crystallizations in Ni–Sn–P amorphous alloys

The effect of plastic deformation on the crystallization kinetics of the ternary Ni–Sn–P amorphous alloy coatings prepared by electroless plating was investigated by using differential scanning calorimetry. It was shown that the effective crystallization activation energy of the amorphous coatings is pronouncedly affected by the plastic deformation, indicating a decreasing tendency with deformation. And, accordingly, this leads to the decrease of crystallization temperature. Analyses were presented to discuss the possible mechanism for the notable effects of plastic deformation on the crystallization kinetics of the amorphous coatings.