Miscibility gap in Cu-Zr-Ag alloy system and its effect on the structure and plasticity of metallic glass

In the present study, we show that the addition of Ag, an element having a positive enthalpy of mixing with Cu in the liquid state, enables the simultaneous enhancement of the glass forming ability and the plasticity in Cu-Zr-Ag bulk metallic glasses (BMGs). Rods of 4 mm diameter could be prepared with a fully amorphous structure and values of plastic strain up to 18% were measured under a compression mode for compositions around Cu _42.5Zr _47.5Ag ₁₀. The possible role of Ag in the change of the atomic structure and the enhancement of the plastic strain in the ternary Cu-Zr-Ag BMGs is discussed based on analyses from transmission electron microscopy and EXAFS (extended X-ray absorption fine structure).