Abstract:The growth kinetics of intermetallic compound layer between molten In−Sn alloy and Cu₄₀Zr₄₄Al₈Ag₈ bulk metallic glass  substrate was examined by solid state isothermal aging at the temperature range between 333 and 393 K. The aged samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectrometry. It is found that the intermetallic compound layer is composed of Zr, Cu and Sn. The layer growth of the intermetallic compound is mainly controlled by a diffusion mechanism over the temperature range and the value of the time exponent is approximately 0.5. The apparent activation energy for the growth of total intermetallic compound layers is 98.35 kJ /mol calculated by the Arrhenius equation.

Key words: bulk metallic glass; compound layer; kinetics; diffusion mechanism