Glass formation in a ZrAlNiCuCo alloy by ball milling of an intermetallic phase mixture

Glass formation by ball milling of a mixture of intermetallic phases with composition Zr 60 Al 10 Ni 9 Cu 18 Co 3 was investigated by X-ray diffraction and thermal analysis and compared with glassy phases produced by liquid undercooling and ball milling of an elemental powder mixture of same composition. The so obtained amorphous phase reveals a distinct glass transition and a large stability range of the highly undercooled melt of 95 K. It is believed that this is by far the widest temperature range of a highly undercooled melt found for ball milled amorphous materials.