Influence of iron additions on structure and properties of amorphous Zr65Al7.5Cu17.5Ni10

Amorphous (Zr65Al7.5Cu17.5Ni10)100−xFex alloys (0≤x≤20) prepared by rapid quenching were investigated by DSC, X-ray diffraction, TEM and magnetization measurement. The short-range order of the bulk glass is found to be similar to that of amorphous binary Zr66M33 alloys (M=Cu, Ni, Fe). For x=20 at.% Fe a small contribution of magnetic clusters is observed. The amorphous Zr65Al7.5Cu17.5Ni10 alloy crystallizes eutectically into CuZr2 and Zr6NiAl2. Fe addition leads to a changed crystallization sequence. A metastable f.c.c. phase (NiTi2-type) is formed for x≥1 at.% iron. With increasing iron content the metastable cubic phase becomes stabilized and the microstructure in the first stage of crystallization changes into a nanocrystalline state.