Crystallization of amorphous Ni-Zr alloys during heating with molecular dynamics simulations

The heating processes of amorphous Ni_xZr_100-x(x=10, 16.7, 33.3) alloys were investigated with molecular dynamics simulations. The simulation results show that the crystallization of amorphous alloys during heating is controlled by the heating rate and the alloy’s composition. The slower heating rate depresses the crystallizing temperatures and the melting temperatures of the amorphous alloys. Crystallization can be eliminated at rapid heating rates, the critical value of which decreases with increasing Ni content of the studied amorphous Ni-Zr alloys. Different crystalline structures formed during crystallizing depend on the heating rate, and the transition between crystalline structures was observed in the heating processes.