The relationship between kinetic and thermodynamic fragilities in metallic glass-forming liquids

Abstract

The correlation between the temperature dependence of the kinetic and thermodynamic properties of a series of metallic glass-forming liquids is investigated using the concept of fragility. The results indicate a correlation between the kinetic fragility and thermodynamic fragility in these liquids. The correlation depends critically on the approach used to evaluate the thermodynamic fragility. Two distinct correlation lines are found for the metal–metalloid and for the all-metallic-constituents glass-forming liquids. For the same thermodynamic fragility the metal–metalloid liquids exhibit a distinctively larger kinetic fragility than the pure-metallic liquids. From the evaluation of the Gibbs free-energy difference between the undercooled liquid and the crystalline phase mixture, a correlation between the kinetic fragility and the driving force for nucleation is found, showing that for glass formation in metallic alloys the thermodynamic and kinetic contributions act together.

Acknowledgements

G. J. F. and E. J. L. would like to thank the Army Research Office for financial support (grant DAAD19-03-1-0020) and R. K. W. and H. J. F. would like to thank the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (G. W. Leibniz Program).