Static and Dynamic Thermal Properties of a Pd40Ni40Si20 Glassy Alloy

The thermal properties of a Pd40Ni40Si20 glassy alloy with the largest supercooled liquid region among the glassy alloys containing Si as a metalloid element are studied using static and dynamic measurement methods. The relatively wide supercooled liquid region of 45 K, defined by the temperature interval between the glass transition temperature (T-g) and the onset temperature of crystallization (T-x), and the viscosity of the supercooled liquid, varying from 2.7 x 10(10) to 3.2 x 10(11) Pas, make this glass suitable for the introduction of controlled pores by a viscous flow in the temperature range TgTx. The obtained activation energy for crystallization, 272 +/- 19 kJ/mol, is slightly higher than that of T-g (228 +/- 11 kJ/mol), indicating the dominant contribution of the atomic transport barrier in the overall energy barrier for crystallization.