Phase separation and nanocrystallization in Al₉₂Sm₈ metallic glass

Jerzy Antonowicz (1) , a R Yavari (2) , Walter Botta (2, 3) , Pierre Panine (4)

1 Faculty of Physics
2 LTPCM - Laboratoire de thermodynamique et physico-chimie métallurgiques
3 DEMa
4 ESRF - European Synchrotron Radiation Facility

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 toward 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.

Mots clés: Physical Sciences

Jerzy Antonowicz, a R Yavari, Walter Botta, Pierre Panine. Phase separation and nanocrystallization in Al₉₂Sm₈ metallic glass. Philosophical Magazine, 2006, 86 (27), pp.4235-4242. ⟨10.1080/14786430500375175⟩. ⟨hal-00513627⟩