Intrinsic relaxation in a supercooled ZrTiNiCuBe glass forming liquid

Abstract

We studied structural relaxation in the bulk metallic glass forming alloy Zr46.8Ti8.2Cu7.5Ni10Be27.5 on different timescales and length scales, with emphasis on the supercooled liquid state. Using x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy, we determined the microscopic structural relaxation time covering timescales of more than two decades in the supercooled liquid region, down to the subsecond regime. Upon heating across the glass transition, the intermediate scattering function changes from a compressed to a stretched decay, with a smooth transition in the stretching exponent and characteristic relaxation time. In the supercooled liquid state, the macroscopic and microscopic relaxation time and the melt viscosity all exhibit the same temperature dependence. This points to a relaxation mechanism via intrinsic structural relaxation of the majority component Zr, with its microscopic timescale controlling both the stress relaxation and viscous flow of the melt.