Preparation of Zr-based metallic glass nanowires and nanoparticles by selective etching

Zr-based metallic glass nanowires and nanoparticles were produced in melt-spun Zr-(Ce, Pr, Nd)-Al-Ni alloys by using the liquid-state immiscibility of Zr and a rare-earth element. In the equiatomic Zr and rare-earth alloy, an interconnected two-phase structure is formed, probably by spinodal decomposition. The interconnected structure was directionally elongated at the edges of the ribbon where the melt was heavily deformed by melt-spinning. In the rare-earth-rich alloy, fine isolated Zr-rich spheres precipitated in the rare-earth-rich matrix by the nucleation and growth process.