Thermodynamic modeling and composition design for the formation of Zr–Ti–Cu–Ni–Al high entropy bulk metallic glasses

Abstract

This work explores the idea of predicting metallic glass forming composition in a multi component alloy for which an equilibrium phase diagram is yet to be deciphered. Deep eutectic regions in a quaternary alloy (Zr–Ti–Cu–Ni) have been extrapolated to the quinary Zr–Ti–Cu–Ni–Al system for designing a potential bulk glass forming composition. P_HSS parameter which is the product of mixing enthalpy, mismatch entropy and configurational entropy of an alloy, has been utilized for thermodynamic modeling. P_HSS values are computed through substitution of Al into the each of the fifteen quaternary eutectics that have been reported in the literature in the Zr–Ti–Cu–Ni system. A good correlation of P_HSS range between modeled alloys and established glass formers indicates the subtle efficacy of this method for high entropy amorphous alloy design through a rationale thermodynamic approach.