ABSTRACTA study of phase transformations is reported for Cu-rich, Cu-Zr multilayer foils that were synthesized using magnetron sputter deposition and annealed using a differential scanning calorimeter. The foils range in composition from 1.6 at% to 9.0 at% Zr and consist of alternate layers of polycrystalline Cu and Zr. Differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray analysis and electron microscopy were used to examine three distinct reactions in the foils: a mixing and an amorphization of the Cu and the Zr, a crystallization to the metastable intermetallic, Cu51Zr14, and a transformation of the Cu51Zr14 phase into the equilibrium phase, Cu9Zr2. The asdeposited layering remained stable during the first two reactions and then broke down in the third reaction as large grains of Cu9Zr2 encompassed the smaller Cu grains. The heats of the reactions and the activation energies of these reactions are measured and are compared to values reported for bulk samples. The measured heats support the observation that amorphous Cu-Zr alloys phase separate and provide evidence that mixing and short range ordering produce 3.5 times more heat than long range ordering when Cu and Zr react and form Cu51Zr14.
Phase Transformations in Cu-Zr Multilayers
