Surface vitrification of alloys by pulsed electrical discharge treatment

Pulsed electrical discharge (PED) treatment was applied as a novel method to synthesize amorphous or amorphous/crystalline composite layers on the surfaces of Zr-, Fe-, Ti- and Al-based crystalline alloys. The formation of amorphous or amorphous/crystalline composite layers was investigated in terms of the significant disparity in glass-forming ability of the alloys. The influences of PED processing parameters on the surface glass formation of Zr₅₅Al₁₀Ni₅Cu₃₀ alloy were further discussed and the PED-treated alloy exhibited a gradient structure: amorphous surface, amorphous/crystalline composite region and crystalline substrate from surface to inside. Besides, effects of processing parameters on the microhardness and corrosion behavior of the treated Zr₅₅Al₁₀Ni₅Cu₃₀ alloy were investigated and the results revealed that the PED treatment could improve the microhardness and corrosion resistance of the crystalline substrate alloy. This PED treatment is a promising method to synthesize amorphous or amorphous/crystalline composite layers for novel mechanical, physical or chemical applications.