Phase segregation and crystallization in the amorphous alloy Ni₇₀Mo₁₀P₂₀

Abstract

Structural evolution of the amorphous alloy Ni₇₀Mo₁₀P₂₀ has been studied by x-ray diffraction, and by following transmission and high-resolution electron microscopy annealing both above and below the glass-transition temperature. When annealed above this temperature, the amorphous phase undergoes segregation into regions about 100 nm in size having different chemical composition. Diffraction from such samples produces diffuse rings, and the scattering vector corresponding to the maximum intensity varies from point to point within the interval of 4.88 to 4.78 nm⁻¹. When occurring between the glass-transition and crystallization temperatures, crystallization produces groups of nanocrystals, 20–30 nm in size, which are in direct contact with one another and form a polymorphic mechanism. The crystallization mechanism changes when the annealing temperature is brought below the glass-transition point. At these temperatures the amorphous matrix crystallizes entectically with formation of eutectic colonies.