Microwave-induced heating of a single glassy phase and a two-phase material consisting of a metallic glass and Fe powder

Abstract

Metallic glasses exhibit low viscosity in a temperature range between the glass transition and the crystallization temperature, a feature that allows successful sintering of glassy powders. Microwave heating, being volumetric, has significant advantages over conventional heating in materials processing, such as substantial energy savings, high heating rates and process cleanliness. In the present study, we investigate the stability of Cu₅₀Zr₄₅Al₅ glassy powders and the formation of a bulk two-component metallic glassy-crystal sample by microwave heating in a single-mode cavity (915 MHz) in an alternating magnetic field.

Keywords:

• metallic glasses
• microwave processing
• metals

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Grant-in-Aid ‘Priority Area on Science and Technology of Microwave-Induced, thermally Non-Equilibrium Reaction Field’ of Ministry of Education, Sports, Culture, Science and Technology, Japan. The authors sincerely thank H.M. Kimura and T. Kanomata from the Metallic Glass Center for their kind assistance in preparation of the powder samples.