ABSTRACTThe thermodynamics of the bulk metallic glass forming Pd43Ni10Cu27P20 alloy were investigated with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The specific heat capacity of the undercooled liquid with respect to the crystalline mixture was measured in the DSC simultaneously with the enthalpy of crystallization over the entire supercooled liquid region. The enthalpy, entropy, and Gibbs free energy change between the liquid and the crystalline mixture was determined from the specific heat capacity data. The calculated enthalpy function closely matched the enthalpies of crystallization that were measured in the DSC, which verifies the validity of the thermodynamic model used. A small Gibbs free energy difference between undercooled liquid and crystalline mixture was found for decreasing temperature in Pd43Ni10Cu27P20 when compared to other glass forming alloys. This reflects a small driving force for crystallization when undercooling this alloy and is the main contributing factor for its high glass forming ability.
