Synthesis and mechanical properties of new Cu-based Cu-Zr-Al glassy alloys with critical diameters up to centimeter order

A new Cu-based Cu-Zr-Al glassy alloy has been found to exhibit very high glass-forming ability, wide supercooled liquid region and high fracture strength. The addition of Al to a binary eutectic Cu₅₅Zr₄₅ alloy significantly increases the stabilization of supercooled liquid as well as glass-forming ability in Cu_55-xZr₄₅Al_x (x = 0 to 10) alloy series. The largest supercooled liquid region of 80K, reduced glass transition temperature of 0.60 and γ value of 0.417 are simultaneously obtained for a ternary eutectic Cu₄₇Zr ₄₅Al₈ alloy, which can fabricate fully glassy sample with critical diameters up to 15 mm by copper mold casting. The bulk glassy alloy also exhibits high compressive fracture strength of over 1900 MPa and the high Young's modulus above 100GPa.