Al86Ce10TM4
amorphous alloys (TM=Fe, Co, Ni and Cu) were fabricated using melt-spin fast-quenching method.
The crystallization, mechanical and electrochemical behavior of the as-spun and the post-annealed alloys were
investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), micro-indentation and electrochemical
techniques. It was found the completely amorphous Al86Ce10TM4
alloys (TM=Fe, Co, Ni and Cu) go through two
crystallization processes, where the first exothermal peak represents nucleation of nano-crystalline particles and the
second exothermal peak signifies growth of the nano-crystalline precipitates. Both the nucleation and growth processes
rely on diffusion-controlled mechanism. The first onset crystallization temperature Tx1 associated with activation energy
E1
and frequency factor Ko1 can be used to evaluate the thermal stability of the amorphous alloys while the second
onset crystallization temperature Tx2 associated with activation energy E2
and frequency factor Ko2 can be taken to
judge the thermal stability of ideal amorphous-nanocrystalline mixed structure in sustaining optimized mechanical
and electrochemical properties. The as-spun and post-annealed alloys exhibit higher mechanical hardness (860~1180
MPa), corrosion resistance (10-8A/cm2
) and high temperature endurance (284, 300 and 420°C for Al86Ce10Co4
,
Al86Ce10Ni4
andAl86Ce10Fe4
, respectively) compared to hardness 500~600 MPa, corrosion resistance 10-7A/cm2
and
high temperature durability 200°C of traditional Al crystalline alloys, manifesting the value on scientific studies and
engineering applications of the Al86Ce10TM4
amorphous alloys.