Eur. Phys. J. B 7, 359-364 (1999)
https://doi.org/10.1007/s100510050622

Specific heat of Zr₆₅Al_7.5Cu_17.5Ni₁₀ around the glass transition

Institut für Physik, Universität Augsburg, Universitätsstrasse 1, 86135 Augsburg, Germany

Received: 23 January 1998
Accepted: 31 August 1998
Published online: 15 February 1999

Abstract

Dynamic calorimetric measurements are performed for the quaternary metallic glass Zr₆₅Al_7.5Cu_17.5Ni₁₀ in order to analyse the dependence on different heating rates for the glass transition temperature T_g. We compare two different temperature programs used for sample relaxation, to estimate the influence of the thermal history on T_g. A lower limit for the glass transition temperature T_g was calculated according to two different models based on the fact, that width and temperature of the glass transition depend on the experimental time scale set by the heating rate: One model assumes a Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann type behaviour, as used to describe more or less "fragile" glass formers and the other assumes an Arrhenius-like behaviour, which is related to "strong" glass formers. The values obtained from both models differ by about 80K. From additional absolute specific heat capacity measurements we calculate the Kauzmann temperature T_K, as a lower limit for the temperature of the glass transition from thermodynamic aspects. Comparing T_K with the temperature values obtained from the two evaluation models we can classify the quaternary metallic glass Zr₆₅Al_7.5Cu_17.5Ni₁₀, to behave more like a "strong" glass former.