Quasicrystals in a partially devitrified Zr65Al7.5Ni10Cu12.5Ag5 bulk metallic glass

Abstract

The presence of a quasicrystalline phase was observed in a Zr65Al7.5Ni10Cu12.5Ag5 bulk metallic glass, and the phase was found to be influenced by the Ag content. Analyses of the rotational symmetry and selected area electron diffraction patterns of the phase by transmission electron microscopy show that the phase exhibits good icosahedral symmetry. The presence of the icosahedral phase in the partially-devitrified metallic glass also shows that the growth of the icosahedral structure is preferred over that of other crystalline phases of the metallic glass in the supercooled liquid range because it requires less atomic reconstruction.