Diffusion of Au in amorphous Zr x Ni100−x alloys studied by Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry

The diffusion coefficients (D) of Au in three binary amorphous Zr_xNi_100–x (x=61, 65, and 67) alloys were measured in the temperature range 549–623 K using the technique of the Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS). The D values were found to lie in the range 1.0×10^–21–9.0×10^–20 m²s^–1 for different alloys. The activation energy (Q) was calculated in each case on the basis of an observed Arrhenius temperature dependence of D. The activation energy was found to scale with the crystallization temperature (T_x) of the alloy. Other published measurements for Au diffusion in amorphous Zr-Ni alloys also appear to follow the scaling relation between Q and T_x.