Ion Irradiation Effect on Mechanical Properties and Corrosion Resistance of a Cu₅₀Zr₅₀ Metallic Glass

The effect of H⁺-ion irradiation on the structure and properties of a Cu₅₀Zr₅₀ metallic glass (MG) is investigated. High-energy synchrotron X-Ray diffraction results indicate that the glass maintains its amorphous nature after ion irradiation. As the ion fluence increases, the atomic bond length of MGs becomes shorter, whereas the nanohardness and Young's modulus increase from 7.08 ± 0.01 and 111.3 ± 1.1 GPa for the as-spun sample to 8.59 ± 0.06 and 123.1 ± 1.3 GPa for the sample irradiated with 2 × 10¹⁶ cm⁻² fluence. The corrosion potential of the studied MG in 1 mol L⁻¹ HCl increases from −0.5953 to −0.4519 V, suggesting an enhanced corrosion resistance of MGs after ion irradiation. The modification of mechanical properties and corrosion resistance can be interpreted from the ion irradiation-induced structural evolution. The results obtained herein can be beneficial for better understanding the mechanical properties and corrosive behaviors of MGs under extreme conditions like ion irradiation, thus promoting their industrial applications.