Composition and structure of Cu-based nanoicosahedral phase in Cu-Zr-Ti-Pd alloy

The present work is devoted to an investigation of the composition of a nanoscale icosahedral phase in a Cu55Zr30Ti10Pd5 glassy alloy by three-dimensional atom probe analysis. The data indicate that the composition of the nanoicosahedral phase that precipitates from the Cu55Zr30Ti10Pd5 glassy alloy is not much different from that of the matrix, that is, the icosahedral phase is Cu-based containing more than 50 at. % Cu. The formation criteria for Cu- and Zr/Hf-based icosahedral phases are discussed based on quasi-lattice constant derived from average atomic diameter ratio. (c) 2005 American Institute of Physics.