Correlation between bulk and surface properties in Cd–X (X = Hg,Mg) liquid alloys

A theoretical investigation of the energetics and its effect on the alloying behaviour of Cd–Hg and Cd–Mg liquid alloys have been carried out with the aim of correlating their bulk and surface phenomena. Using the Quasi-chemical approximation for regular solution model, our results indicate that Cd–Hg and Cd–Mg are weakly heterocoordinated both in the bulk and on the surface. We observed that the degree of chemical order in Cd–Mg liquid alloy is more than that of Cd–Hg liquid alloy.     

Internal stresses induced by plastic shear deformation of Zr–(Cu,Ag)–Al bulk metallic glasses

Effective internal shear stress σ_i induced by torsional deformation of Zr₄₆(Cu_4/5Ag_1/5)₄₆Al₈ and Zr₄₆Cu₄₆Al₈ bulk metallic glasses different by the glass-forming ability of the maternal melts has been determined by measurements of stress relaxation upon stepwise unloading. It has been found that the ratio σ_i/σ₀ (σ₀ is the initially applied shear stress) decreases upon increasing the temperature from ≈ 0.8 at T = 450K (T ≈ 0.64 × T_g) to ≈ 0.08 at T = 638K (T ≈ 0.91 × T_g) independently of σ₀ and glass composition. The obtained result is in good agreement with earlier data obtained on ribbon metallic glasses. The origin of deformation-induced internal stresses and their connection with deformation mechanisms of metallic glasses has been briefly discussed.     

Investigation of glass forming ability in Ce–Al–Ni alloys

The compositional dependence of the glass forming ability (GFA), the correlation between their GFA and the GFA related parameters, and the thermal stability of the Ce–Al–Ni alloys were investigated. Rapidly quenched Ce₆₅Al_xNi_35 ? x (x = 2, 5, 10, 17, 20) and Ce₇₀Al_xNi_30 ? x (x = 2, 5, 10, 15, 20) ribbons were prepared by melt spinning, and their phase transformations were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The experimental results indicated that the GFA of Ce₆₅Al_xNi_35 ? x (x = 2, 5, 10, 17, 20) and Ce₇₀Al_xNi_30 ? x (x = 2, 5, 10, 15, 20) alloys increased firstly and then decreased with the increasing of the Al content up to 20 at.%, respectively. It was found that only one parameter, F₁, in evaluated currently available empirical GFA parameters searching for metallic glasses with a good GFA, can reflect the GFA of the Ce–Al–Ni alloys. It was indicated that the thermal stability of alloy with fully amorphous maybe lower than that of alloy with partial amorphous.     

The effect of Ag addition on the glass-forming ability of Mg–Cu–Y metallic glass alloys

The effect of Ag substitution for Cu on the glass forming ability was studied in Mg₆₅Cu_25−xAg_xY₁₀ (x=0,5,10,15,20,25) alloys by using thermal analysis and X-ray diffractometry (XRD). With increasing x from 0–25, the glass transition temperature, T_g, of melt spun Mg₆₅Cu_25−x Ag_xY₁₀ alloys increases slightly from 426 to 436 K, and the crystallization temperature, T_x, decreases from 494 to 459 K, resulting in a decrease in the supercooled liquid region. However, a partial substitution of Cu by Ag in Mg₆₅Cu₂₅Y₁₀ promotes the glass formation. The maximum diameter for amorphous phase formation by injection casting increases from 4 mm in Mg₆₅Cu₂₅Y₁₀ to 6 mm in Mg₆₅Cu₁₅Ag₁₀Y₁₀ alloy. Both amorphous Mg₆₅Cu₁₅Ag₁₀Y₁₀ alloys prepared by melt spinning and injection casting showed similar crystallization process during continuous heating in differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The relationship between the critical diameter for the formation of an amorphous phase in injection casting and the parameters reflecting glass-forming ability was examined.     

Effects of Zn addition on the improvement of glass forming ability and plasticity of Mg–Cu–Tb bulk metallic glasses

The effects of Zn addition on the glass forming ability and mechanical properties of Mg₆₅Cu_25?xZn_xTb₁₀ (x = 0, 2.5, 5, and 7.5) have been investigated. We show that small amounts of Zn addition improve the glass forming ability, strength, and ductility of the Mg–Cu–Tb bulk metallic glass. For the best glass forming composition, amorphous rods of Mg₆₅Cu₂₀Zn₅Tb₁₀ with a diameter of at least 7 mm have been prepared by a conventional copper mold casting method. Additionally, this composition exhibits obvious yielding and plastic deformation upon quasi-static compressive loading. The fracture strength, total strain to failure, and the plastic strain of the Mg₆₅Cu₂₀Zn₅Tb₁₀ bulk metallic glass reaches 1025 MPa, 2.05% and 0.15%, respectively. This is significantly superior compared to that exhibited by the original Zn-free Mg–Cu–Tb amorphous alloy.     

Corrosion behavior and in vitro biocompatibility of Zr–Al–Co–Ag bulk metallic glasses: An experimental case study

Ni- and Cu–free Zr–Al–Co–Ag bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) were synthesized by copper mold casting. The effects of Ag addition for partially replacing Co of Zr₅₃Al₁₆Co₃₁ BMG on the corrosion behavior, surface chemistry and in vitro biocompatibility of BMGs were investigated. The Zr–Al–Co–Ag BMGs are spontaneously passivated with low passive current densities in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) solution. Partial substitution of Co by Ag is effective in improving the corrosion resistance of the Zr–Al–Co BMG. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements reveal that the Ag addition increases the concentration of Zr and decreases the concentration of Al in the surface passive film of BMGs, which is responsible for the enhanced corrosion resistance of Zr–Al–Co–Ag BMGs. Mouse MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblast cell proliferation results and morphology observations show that the Zr–Al–Co–Ag BMGs exhibit comparable cell viability and proliferation activity with those of Ti–6Al–4V alloy, demonstrating their good biocompatibility. The high corrosion resistance in PBS and low in vitro cytotoxicity of Zr–Al–Co–Ag BMGs suggest an initial biocompatibility for biomedical applications.     

Crystallisation kinetics,glass forming ability and thermal stability in glassy Se100 − xInx chalcogenide alloys

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) studies have been done under non-isothermal conditions at different heating rates for glassy Se_100 ? xIn_x (5 ≤ x ≤ 20) alloys. DSC traces with well-defined endothermic and exothermic troughs and peaks at glass transition (T_g), crystallisation (T_c) and melting (T_m) temperatures were observed. The crystallisation kinetics parameters, Avrami index (n), activation energy for crystallisation (E_c) and frequency factor (K_o), have been calculated on the basis of the classical Johnson–Mehl–Avrami (JMA) model and related methods derived by Kissinger, Augis–Bennett and Mahedevan. Activation energy for glass transformation (E_t) has been evaluated on the usual two different non-isothermal methods developed by Moynihan and Kissinger. An extension of the Augis–Bennett method well known for evaluating E_c to calculate E_t has been explored with satisfactory results. Results obtained from these methods are in close agreement with each other. Close correlation between E_t, E_c and heating rate (β) was observed. The glass forming ability (GFA) and thermal stability parameters have been calculated for each glass system. It was found that the proportion of indium additive changed significantly the values of glass/crystal transformation, GFA and thermal stability of the studied system.     

Structural behavior of CuxZr100−x metallic glass (x = 35−70)

The structural behavior of rapidly quenched amorphous Cu_xZr_100?x alloys was investigated in a wide composition range between 35 and 70 at.% Cu content. High-energy X-ray diffraction patterns, atomic pair correlation functions, mass density and the thermal stability behavior of the alloys all exhibit monotonic changes with composition. Partial pair correlation functions were determined assuming that they remain unchanged in the different amorphous Cu_xZr_100?x alloys and only the weight fractions become altered with changes in composition. The experimental results can be well described by a solid solution-like replacement of Cu and Zr atoms in the whole composition range. No indications are observed neither for the existence of a special atomic arrangement at a particular chemical composition nor for the presence of phase separation in the glassy state of the binary Cu–Zr system.     

Microstructural analysis of Ga2S3–2MCl (M = K, Rb, Cs) glasses using Raman scattering

Raman scattering spectra of Ga₂S₃–2MCl (M = K, Rb, Cs) glasses have been conducted at room temperature. Based on the analysis of the local co-ordination surroundings of Cs⁺ ions, the similarities and differences of Raman spectra for the glass Ga₂S₃–2CsCl and the bridged molecular GaCl₃ were explained successfully. Through considering the effect of M⁺ ions on mixed anion units [GaS_4?xCl_x] and bridged units [Ga₂S_6?xCl_x] and the corresponding microstructural model, the Raman spectral evolution of the Ga₂S₃–2MCl (M = K, Rb, Cs) glasses was reasonably elucidated.     

Influence of Al2O3 addition on the properties of Bi2O3–BaO–SiO2–RxOy (R = K,Zn, etc.) glass sealant

A series of Bi₂O₃–BaO–SiO₂–R_xO_y (designated BiBaSi glass) glass sealants doped with different contents of α-Al₂O₃ have been investigated. Al₂O₃ was added as a modifier to affect the structure and the behavior of the glass. The thermal properties such as glass transition temperature (Tg), softening temperature (Tf) and coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) were measured by a dilatometer. The sealing performance was investigated by sealing a SOFC single cell stack and measuring its open circuit voltage (OCV). Tg, Tf and suitable usage temperature of the sealants increased with increasing Al₂O₃ content in the glass, while CTE decreased. When the Al₂O₃ content was lower than 10 wt.%, excellent sealing performance was observed.     

Crystallization behavior of Ce70−xAl10Cu20Cox (x = 0, 1, 3, 5 at.%) amorphous alloys

The effect of Co addition (substituting for Ce) on crystallization behavior of Ce₇₀Al₁₀Cu₂₀ amorphous alloys has been investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential thermal analysis (DTA) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The Co addition has an obvious effect on topological short-range ordering of Ce–Al–Cu–(Co) amorphous alloys. Moreover, the Co addition can slightly improve the thermal stability of Ce–Al–Cu based amorphous alloys. The 1 and 3 at.% Co additions do not obviously change the crystallization behavior of the Ce–Al–Cu–(Co) amorphous alloys, and the final crystallization products are FCC–CeAlCu(Co)O. However, the 5 at.% Co addition can alter the crystallization behavior of the Ce₇₀Al₁₀Cu₂₀ amorphous alloys. Proper content of Co can effectively suppress the formation of oxide phases during annealing of the Ce–Al–Cu–(Co) amorphous alloys.     

Synthesis and structure–property relations in xCuO–(1 − x)Bi2O3 (0.5 ⩽ x ⩽ 0.9) (C1–C5: x = 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9) glasses

Synthesis of the xCuO–(1 ? x)Bi₂O₃ (0.5 ? x ? 0.9) (C1–C5: x = 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9) glasses was done via nitrate–citrate gel route. Glassy phase is ascertained by XRD studies. Magnetic susceptibility results in the range 4.2–400 K show weak paramagnetic nature with exchange integrals ～0.024–0.13 eV in the glasses. The electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) in the range 4.2–363 K shows g ≈ 2.0 and the trend of the g-matrix elements g_|| > g_⊥ > g_e for the glasses C1–C5 at 4.2 K are due to the Cu²⁺ (3d⁹) paramagnetic site in the glasses which is in a tetragonally elongated octahedron [O_1/2–CuO_4/2–O_1/2] having D_4h symmetry. IR spectroscopic results show the presence of octahedron [BiO_6/2]^3? and [CuO_6/2]^4? units and pyramidal [BiO_2/2O]^? unit in the glasses.     

Corrosion behavior of Fe-based ferromagnetic (Fe,Ni)–B–Si–Nb bulk glassy alloys in aqueous electrolytes

Fe-based ferromagnetic [(Fe_1?xNi_x)_0.75B_0.2Si_0.05]₉₆Nb₄ (x = 0, 0.2 and 0.4) bulk glassy alloys (BGAs) with a diameter of 2 mm were prepared by copper mold casting. The corrosion behavior of glassy alloy rods obtained was investigated in 0.5 M NaCl, 0.5 M NaOH and 0.5 M H₂SO₄ aqueous electrolytes, respectively, using weight loss and electrochemical polarization measurements. It was found that the corrosion rates significantly decrease with an increase in Ni content in all examined solutions. The Ni-containing BGAs are spontaneously passivated with wide passive regions and low passive current densities in NaCl and NaOH solutions, but exhibit the active–passive–transpassive behavior in H₂SO₄ solution. The partial substitution of Ni for Fe results in a considerable improvement on the corrosion resistance of [(Fe_1?xNi_x)_0.75B_0.2Si_0.05]₉₆Nb₄ BGAs, because of the structural and chemical homogeneousness of the amorphous phase and the effect of Ni on promoting the formation of a passive film. Besides their high glass-forming ability (GFA), excellent soft-magnetic properties and good mechanical performance, which have been reported before, these FeNi-based BGAs also feature rather high corrosion resistance.     

Micro-structural studies of GeSe2–Ga2Se3–MX (MX = CsI and PbI2) glasses using Raman spectra

Microstructure of the chalcohalide glasses: GeSe₂–Ga₂Se₃–CsI and GeSe₂–Ga₂Se₃–PbI₂ ternary system were investigated by Raman spectra, lifetime of Dy³⁺ infrared emission and glass transition temperature (T_g). The evolution of the Raman spectra shows that the fundamental structural groups of these studied glasses consist of [Ge(Ga)Se₄] tetrahedral and some complex structure units [Ge(Ga)I_xSe_4?x](x = 1–4). The x value varied when the different iodide was added in Ge–Ga–Se matrix. For GeSe₂–Ga₂Se₃–CsI glasses, the [Ge(Ga)I_xSe_4?x](x = 1–4) mixed-anion tetrahedral and [Ga₂I₇]^? units occurred. For GeSe₂–Ga₂Se₃–PbI₂ glasses, the [Ge(Ga)I₂Se₂], [Ge(Ga)I₃Se] units can be formed. The changes of Dy³⁺ infrared emission lifetime and T_g support the results. Additionally, [PbI_n] structural units will be formed in GeSe₂–Ga₂Se₃–PbI₂ glasses due to high form-ability of these units when the PbI₂ content is high.     

Formation and mechanical behavior of (Fe0.5Ni0.5)80−xMoxB20 (x = 0–8) amorphous alloys

Glass forming ability, thermal stability and mechanical behavior of (Fe_0.5Ni_0.5)_80?xMo_xB₂₀ (x = 0, 2, 4, 6, 8) amorphous alloys were studied by XRD, TEM, SEM, DSC, tensile test, microhardness test and tearing test. The effects of Mo addition on glass formation, strength and ductility of (Fe_0.5Ni_0.5)_80?xMo_xB₂₀ amorphous alloys were discussed. The substitution of Mo for Fe and Ni simultaneously causes improvement in glass forming ability and thermal stability, and changes the crystallization process. The tensile fracture strength of amorphous alloy depends on both hardness and ductility; the alloy with high hardness and good ductility simultaneously also has a high tensile fracture strength. The (Fe_0.5Ni_0.5)₇₈Mo₂B₂₀ amorphous alloy exhibits good glass forming ability and the highest tensile fracture strength among (Fe_0.5Ni_0.5)_80?xMo_xB₂₀ alloys. Micro-plastic deformation occurred in ductile and brittle amorphous alloys that both show viscous flow characteristics. The mechanical behavior of (Fe_0.5Ni_0.5)_80?xMo_xB₂₀ amorphous alloys is related to the average outer shell electron concentration of metal atoms.     

Square-wave voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy in tin doped melts with the compositions xNa2O · 15Al2O3 · (85 − x)SiO2 (x = 8.5, 11 and 16)

Glasses with the base compositions xNa₂O · 15Al₂O₃ · (85 ? x)SiO₂ (x = 8.5, 11 and 16) doped with 0.5 mol% SnO₂ were investigated by both square-wave voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy in the temperature range from 1300 to 1600 °C. Each recorded square-wave voltammogram exhibits a well pronounced peak attributed to the Sn²⁺/Sn⁴⁺-redox pair. Impedance spectra were measured in a frequency range from 0.1 to 10⁵ s^?1 as a function of the superimposed dc-potential and were simulated using an equivalent circuit taking into account the resistivity of the melt, the electrochemical double layer, a resistor attributed to a kinetically hindered electron transfer and a Warburg parameter which accounts for the diffusion process of Sn⁴⁺ and Sn²⁺ to and from the electrode. Additionally, two impedance elements, a resistor and a capacitance both attributed to adsorption processes were necessary to fit the impedance spectra.     

Phase transformations in the La1−xNdxNi3.5Al1.5–H2 (x = 0.1 and 0.2) system

Interactions in the La_1?xNd_xNi_3.5Al_1.5-Н₂ (x = 0.1 and 0.2) system was studied from room temperature up to 950 °C at the initial hydrogen pressure of 5 MPa through differential thermal (DTA) and X-ray phase analyses. Heating two-phase alloys (x = 0.1 and 0.2) in hydrogen results in their disproportionation (at 530 and 560 °С, respectively) and the formation of NiAl and unidentified amorphous products. The single-phase La_0.9Nd_0.1Ni_3.5Al_1.5 alloy decomposes in hydrogen at 900 °С into a hydride of rare-earth metals and an Ni₃Al intermetallic; traces of NiAl and hydride of a phase of the CaCu₅-type structure have also been observed. Heating the disproportionated samples in vacuum to 520–550 °С leads to their recombination into a homogenized phase with a CaCu₅-type structure. In other words, the increase of neodymium content shifts the reaction equilibrium of La_1?xNd_xNi_3.5Al_1.5 alloys with hydrogen towards recombination.     

Structural investigation of ternary La/alkaline earth phosphate (La(1−x)MxP3Oy) (M = Ba,Ca, Sr) glasses

The structure of La-based metaphosphate glasses modified with aliovalent alkaline earth elements (M = Ba, Ca, Sr), with P:(M + La) ratio kept approximately at 3, were analyzed using Raman and IR spectroscopy. Increasing the concentration of the alkaline earths monotonically decreased the glass density and glass transition temperature, and shifted some vibrational modes by as much as 40 wavenumbers. The Raman frequencies of the symmetric POP and the PO vibrations depended on the M/La ratio, but not on the type of alkaline earth addition; however, the type of alkaline earth cation significantly changed the symmetric PO₂ vibration. The average cation-oxygen coordination number remained near ～7 except for a slight decrease for high concentrations of Ca and Sr substitutions. The POP/PO₂ intensity ratio increased with increasing alkaline earth content. The replacement of divalent elements for trivalent La in a metaphosphate glass structure was partially accommodated by incorporation of protons as charge compensating defects. The protons were found to be in close proximity to the divalent cations.