Enhancement of the Thermal Stability and Mechanical Hardness of Zr-Al-Co Amorphous Alloys by Ag Addition

The thermal and mechanical properties of Zr₅₇Al₁₅Co_28-XAg_X (X = 0 and 8) amorphous alloys were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry, in situ high-pressure angle dispersive X-ray diffraction measurements with synchrotron radiation, and nanoindentation. Results show that Ag doping improves effective activation energy, nanohardness, elastic modulus, and bulk modulus. Ag addition enhances topological and chemical short-range orderings, which can improve local packing efficiency and restrain long-range atom diffusion. This approach has implications for the design of the microstructure- and property-controllable functional materials for various applications.