Laser direct joining of glassy metal Zr55Al10Ni 5Cu30to engineering plastic polyethylene terephthalate

Abstract

Metals and plastics are widely used in industrial applications, and glassy metals are recently receiving a considerable attention in terms of high strength and great corrosion resistance. Joining of a metal or glassy metal to a plastic is necessary and important in manufacturing high performance products. Therefore, we have developed laser-assisted metal and plastic (LAMP) joining as an innovative rapid bonding process without adhesives or glues. In this research, therefore, LAMP joining was applied to bond Zr55Al 10Ni5Cu30 metallic glass sheet and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plate. The LAMP joint exhibited the same strength as the base glassy metal. According to the results of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and diffraction patterns of transmission electron microscope (TEM), samples were confirmed to be still amorphous. Moreover, TEM photos and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis demonstrated that the glassy metal and the plastic were tightly bonded on the atomic or molecular size level through zirconium oxide film covering glassy metal. Consequently, it was revealed that a Zr55Al10Ni5Cu30 metallic glass sheet was directly joined onto an engineering plastic PET plate and kept amorphous phase of the metallic glass after the LAMP joining. © 2010 The Japan Institute of Metals.