Effect of minor alloying additions on glass formation in bulk metallic glasses

This paper provides a comprehensive review of recent work on the effect of minor alloying additions on glass formation in bulk metallic glasses. Recently, minor alloying addition or microalloying technology has shown to have dramatic effects on the glass formation and thermal stability of many bulk metallic glasses. This technology basically involves adding small amounts of alloying additions (usually, less 2 at%) to existing bulk metallic glasses for the purpose of further improving their glass forming ability. Experimental evidences indicate that alloying additions of small atoms with atomic radius <0.12 nm (such as B and Si) or large atoms with radius >0.16 nm (such as Y and Sc) are most effective in enhancing glass forming ability. The beneficial effects of these elements are discussed in terms of physical metallurgy principles.