Enhancing strength and plasticity of Zr-based bulk metallic glasses by Zr partially substituted Fe and isothermal annealing

Abstract Zr-based bulk metallic glasses (BMG) Zr65+xCu17.5Fe10-xAl7.5 (x = 0, 2.5, 5, 7.5) with high zirconium content were prepared by an injection copper-mold casting method. The influence of Zr partially substituted Fe and isothermal annealing on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the Zr65+xCu17.5Fe10-xAl7.5 BMGs has been systematically studied. The as-prepared BMG with a Zr content of 70 at.% achieves superior glass forming ability with a large supercooled liquid region width of 82 K and compressive performance. An optimized isothermal annealing (0.5 h) below the glass transition temperature of the as-cast Zr70Cu17.5Fe5Al7.5 BMG contributes significant enhancement in compressive fracture strength and plasticity, from 1845 MPa and 7.4% (as-cast) to 2096 MPa and 12.7% (annealed), respectively. The result of the present study provides a new strategy for designing high-performance BMG-based alloys.