Metallic glasses are a relatively new type of material with astounding properties that have lead to them being called the wonder materials of the future.
Unlike standard metals, metallic glass materials don’t have a crystalline microstructure with defined grains. They have a range of extraordinary properties which make them attractive to engineers and materials scientists. These properties include exceptional strength, elasticity and magnetic properties.
Previously, metallic glasses could only be formed in thin ribbons. This has restricted their application to date to applications such as ultra soft magnetic materials in power and high frequency cores for transformers, chokes, inductors and other similar devices. Recently, techniques have been found that can produce these innovative materials in bulk forms. This opens up a range of new engineering applications for metallic glasses.
In this work researchers from University of Sheffield and Instituto de Investigaciones Metalurgicas (UMSNH), I. A. Figueroa, H.A. Davies, I. Todd, J. A. Verduzco and P. Hawksworth, produced bulk amorphous rods of Cu-Hf and Cu-Hf-Ti and determined the critical glassy diameter of these alloy families.
The researchers found that the substitution of Hf by Ti causes an increase in the glass-forming ability. As the Ti content increases, the glass transition temperature and crystallization temperature decrease for the alloys investigated. They also found that the alloys with the highest glass transition temperature to crystallization temperature (Tg/Tl value) showed the best glass forming ability.
The AZojomo* article is available to view at http://www.azom.com/Details.asp?ArticleID=3626
###
*AZojomo publishes high quality articles and papers on all aspects of materials science and related technologies. All the contributions are reviewed by a world class panel of editors who are experts in a wide spectrum of materials science. [See http://www.azom.com/Journal%20Editorial%20Board.asp]
AZojomo is based on the patented OARS (Open Access Rewards System) publishing protocol. The OARS protocol represents a unique development in the field of scientific publishing – the distribution of online scientific journal revenue between the authors, peer reviewers and site operators with no publication charges, just totally free to access high quality, peer reviewed materials science. [See http://www.azom.com/azojomo.asp and http://www.azom.com/oars.asp]