Long-term room-temperature aging treatment of a bulk metallic glass composite

In this work, a long-term room-temperature aging treatment of the order of years is applied to a B2 phase-reinforced CuZr-based bulk metallic glass composite (BMGC). Presumably governed by residual stress, B19’ CuZr martensitic phase gradually precipitates in the crystals after such long-term aging, while structural relaxation takes place in the glassy matrix, which finally induces precipitation of Cu₁₀Zr₇ nanocrystals. Tensile tests prove that these time-dependent structural changes have a measurable effect on deformation behaviors of BMGC. The findings are helpful for understanding the thermodynamic stability and the kinetics of structural evolution of metastable alloys and have useful implications for tailoring the structure and mechanical behavior of BMGCs.