Preparation of a La₆₂Al_15.7(Cu,Ni)_22.3 bulk amorphous alloy by spray forming

A La₆₂Al_15.7(Cu,Ni)_22.3 bulk amorphous alloy was prepared by spray forming. Experimental results show that the reduced glass transition temperature and super-cooled liquid region of the La₆₂Al_15.7(Cu,Ni)_22.33 bulk amorphous alloy prepared by spray forming are larger than those of the melt-spun alloy with the same composition reported previously. The crystallization behavior of the as-deposited alloy was investigated by DSC and XRD in order to reveal characteristics of this technique. It shows that several phases precipitate simultaneously during the early crystallization process. When annealed at 483 K, Al and AlNi precipitates from the amorphous matrix, while La and certain unknown phase appear subsequently when the annealing temperature is 503 K. No other phase precipitates from the matrix when the alloy is annealed at 573 K. The microstructure of the crystallized sample consists of Al, AlNi, La and a kind of unknown phase.