Synthesis and properties of bulk metallic glasses in Pd-Ni-P and Pd-Cu-P alloys

Bulk amorphous Pd-Ni-P and Pd-Cu-P alloy rods with diameters 7-25 mm were synthesized over a wide composition range using a fluxing technique. For most bulk amorphous Pd-Ni-P alloys, the difference {Delta}T=T{sub x}-T{sub g} between the crystallization temperature T{sub x} and the glass transition temperature T{sub g} is larger than 90 K, while for bulk amorphous Pd-Cu-P alloys, {Delta}T varies from 27 to 73 K. Pd{sub 40}Ni{sub 40}P{sub 20} has the highest glass formability, and 300-g bulk amorphous cylinders, 25mm dia and 50mm long, can be easily produced. This size is not an upper limit. The paper presents the glass formation ranges for both ternary alloy systems and data on the thermal stability of the amorphous alloys, as well as their specific heat, density, and elastic properties.