Structure and crystallization of the partially crystalline Zr76Ni24 metallic glass

The partially crystalline Zr76Ni24 (numbers indicate at.%) metallic glass was prepared by melt spinning. The structure and crystallization of the partially crystalline Zr76Ni24 metallic glass during heat treatment at different heating rates have been investigated by means of differential scanning calorimetry in the temperature interval from 300 to 823 K and by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) at room temperature. According to the XRD results, it was found that two sides of the quenched ribbons showed different structures. The XRD pattern of the side of the ribbon which was in contact with the wheel of the quenching apparatus shows a broad maximum corresponding to an amorphous phase. On the other hand, the XRD pattern of the side of the ribbon which was in contact with the inert atmosphere consists of a set of sharp lines. These lines were indexed and found that they belong to the orthorhombic Zr3Ni metastable crystalline phase. Crystallization studies showed that the existence of the orthorhombic Zr3Ni metastable crystalline phase does not change the thermal stability of the amorphous phase against further crystallization and remains unchanged during the annealing up to 823 K.