High‐Energy X‐Ray Diffraction Study of the Inhomogeneous Zr43Cu43Al7Ag7 Bulk‐Metallic Glasses

Abstract In the present work, the microscopic structure of an as‐cast Zr 43 Cu 43 Al 7 Ag 7 bulkmetallic glass (BMG) had been investigated in detail. The structure analyses are performed using the laboratory X‐ray diffraction (XRD), high‐energy synchrotron X‐ray diffraction, and transmission‐electron microscopy (TEM). The results from different techniques are compared and discussed. The specimen shows a typical amorphous hallo using the conventional laboratory XRD. However, tiny crystalline particles, roughly ≈10 nm in size, are found in the sample by the high‐energy XRD as well as the TEM. The standard laboratory XRD measurement is not adequate to differentiate amorphous from a nano‐composite phase. The high‐energy XRD method is an essential technique to determine the glassy nature of a BMG.