Glass-formation and hardness of Cu–Y alloys

Metallic glasses exhibit particularly attractive mechanical properties, like high stresses to fracture and large elastic strain (up to 2%), but they show generally low plasticity. Aim of this work is to investigate the glass forming range in the Cu–Y system, in order to form the ductile CuY phase (CsCl structure) upon crystallization. Cu58Y42, Cu50Y50 and Cu33Y67 alloys have been prepared by rapid solidification and copper mould casting, obtaining ribbons and cylindrical shaped ingots, with diameter of 2mm. Fully amorphous, partially amorphous and fully crystalline samples have been obtained for different compositions and quenching conditions. In some cases, the X-ray diffraction results, analysed using the Rietveld method, showed CuY nanocrystals embedded in an amorphous matrix. The microstructure was studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and the presence of nanocrystals of the ductile phase CuY has been confirmed. Microhardness results showed a softening of the amorphous phase due to the presence of CuY nanocrystals and a hardening due to the Cu2Y phase.