Microstructure modulation and mechanical properties of multicomponent Fe₅₀Cr₁₄Mo₁₄C₉B₈Tm₅ bulk metallic glass through controlled crystallization processing

Fe₅₀Cr₁₄Mo₁₄C₉B₈Tm₅ bulk metallic glass was prepared at a cooling rate of 6.36 × 10⁴ K s⁻¹. Its Young's modulus and compressive strength were modulated through controlled crystallization processing. A low cooling rate induced the formation of the Tm₂Mo₂C₃ phase while preserving free volume. Thus, the elastic deformation limit was increased to 2.39%. After low-temperature annealing, the (Fe, Cr)₂₃(C, B)₆ phase was formed at first. As the annealing temperature increased, four types of crystalline phases appeared as dispersions in this alloy, where the hardness of the Fe₃Mo₃C phase reached 32.5 GPa. Even when the annealing temperature reached 1260 K, the average grain size was only 180 nm. The large volume fraction of the Fe₃Mo₃C phase and uniform microstructure of crystallized alloy resulted in a high strength of 4.01 GPa and a low Young's modulus of 237.11 GPa.