Phase separation and nanocrystallization in Al₉₂Sm₈ metallic glass

Abstract

Crystallization of Al₉₂Sm₈ metallic glass was investigated in situ using combined small-angle and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS) techniques during isothermal annealing at temperatures close to crystallization point. A continuously growing interference maximum shifting progressively towards lower angles was found to develop in SAXS regime. Simultaneously taken WAXS spectra reveal formation of fcc-Al nanocrystalline phase. The analysis of the SAXS/WAXS data indicate that amorphous phase separation is responsible for the nanocrystalline microstructure formation. The primary fcc-Al crystals nucleate inside the Al-rich amorphous regions formed during alloy decomposition and their growth is constrained by the region size.

Acknowledgments

J. Antonowicz gratefully acknowledges the Polish Committee of Scientific Research (Grant no: 7T08 A02121) and Faculty of Physics of Warsaw University of Technology.

Notes

¶ Permenent address: Universidade Federal de Saõ Carlos, DEMa, CP 676, 13.565-905 Saõ Carlos, SP, Brazil.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

W. J. Botta¶

¶ Permenent address: Universidade Federal de Saõ Carlos, DEMa, CP 676, 13.565-905 Saõ Carlos, SP, Brazil.