Damage characteristics of Zr-based metallic glasses under helium ions irradiation

Metallic glasses (MGs) exhibit extremely high strength and superior resistance to corrosion. They are also supposed to be resistant against displacive irradiation due to their inherent disordered structure, and thereby are viewed as potential candidates for applications in irradiation environments. However, the structures and properties evolution of metallic glasses, especially bulk metallic glasses (BMGs), under irradiation has not been fully understood up to now. In this work, the structural stability and damage characteristics of a Zr-based BMG under helium ions irradiation environment were investigated. Meanwhile, the effect of structural relaxation and crystallization on the irradiation response of the BMG was also studied. Results show that the BMG reserves the amorphous structure within the studied range of fluence, and exhibits better irradiation resistance compared to that of the crystalline alloys. In our opinion, the initial free volume concentration affects the damage morphology of the BMG, while partial crystallization will lead to significantly embrittlement under irradiation. © 2016 Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland