Alloys exhibiting spinodal glass matrix microconstituents structure and deformation mechanisms

1. A method of forming an alloy composition including spinodal based glass matrix microconstituents comprising:

melting an alloy composition comprising iron present in the range of 49 atomic percent (at %) to 65 at %, nickel present in the range of 10 at % to 16.5 at %, cobalt optionally present in the range of 0.1 at % to 12 at %, boron present in the range of 12.5 at % to 16.5 at %, silicon present in the range of 0.1 at % to 8.0 at %, carbon optionally present in the range of 2 at % to 5 at %, chromium optionally present in the range of 2.5 at % to 13.35 at %, niobium optionally present in the range of 1.5 at % to 2.5 at %; and

cooling said alloy composition at a rate of 10 3 K/s to 10 6 K/s and triggering the formation of a spinodal glass matrix microconstituent in said alloy composition, wherein said alloy composition upon cooling exhibits uniform phase separation of semicrystalline or crystalline clusters in a metallic glass matrix, wherein the clusters exhibit different chemistry from the glass matrix, and said alloy composition exhibits a thickness of 0.001 mm to 3 mm and exhibits an ultimate tensile strength in the range of 2.3 Gigapascals (GPa) to 3.27 GPa, when measured at a strain rate of 0.001 s −1 , and

wherein melting and cooling of said alloy is by melt-spinning in a gas environment with a chamber pressure in the range of 0.25 atm to ⅓atm and a wheel tangential velocity in the range of 15 meters per second to 30 meters per second, wherein said gas environment is selected from one of the following: carbon dioxide, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide mixtures, or carbon dioxide and argon mixtures.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said alloy composition consists essentially of iron, nickel, boron, silicon and one or more of the following cobalt, chromium, carbon and niobium.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said alloy composition consists essentially of iron, nickel, boron, silicon and chromium.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said alloy composition comprises iron present in the range of 49 at % to 65 at %, nickel present in the range of 14.5 at % to 16.5 at %, cobalt present in the range of 2.5 at % to 12 at %, boron present in the range of 12.5at % to 16.5 at %, silicon present in the range of 0.5 at % to 8.0 at %, carbon optionally present in the range of 2 at % to 5 at %, chromium optionally present in the range of 2.5 at % to 13.35 at %, and niobium optionally present in the range of 1.5 at % to 2.5 at %.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said alloy composition comprises iron present in the range of 53 at % to 62 at %, nickel present in the range of 15.5 at % to 16.5 at %, cobalt present in the range of 4.0 at % to 10 at %, boron present in the range of 12 at % to 16 at %, carbon present in the range of 4.5 at % to 4.6 at %, and silicon present in the range of 0.4 at % to 0.5 at %.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said alloy composition comprises iron present in the range of 51 at % to 65 at %, nickel present in the range of 16.5 at %, cobalt present in the range of 3 at % to 12 at %, boron present in the range of 15 at % to 16.5 at %, and silicon present in the range of 0.4 at % to 4 at %.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said alloy composition comprises iron present in the range of 49 at % to 61 at %, nickel present in the range of 14.5 at % to 16 at %, cobalt present in the range of 2.5 at % to 12 at %, boron present in the range of 13 at % to 16 at %, silicon present in the range of 3 at % to 8 at %, and chromium present in the range of 2.5 at % to 3 at %.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein said alloy composition comprises iron present in the range of 57 at % to 60 at %, nickel present in the range of 14.5 at % to 15.5 at %, cobalt present in the range of 2.5 at % to 3 at %, boron present in the range of 13 at % to 14 at %, silicon present in the range of 3.5 at % to 8 at %, chromium present in the range of 2.5 at % to 3 at %, and niobium optionally present at 2 at %.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein said alloy composition does not include cobalt.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein said alloy composition comprises iron present in the range of 52 at % to 65 at %, nickel present in the range of 10 at % to 16.5 at %, boron present in the range of 13 at % to 15 at %, silicon present in the range of 0.4 at % to 0.5 at %, and chromium present in the range of 3 at % to 13.35 at %.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein said spinodal glass maxtrix microconstituents include crystalline or semi-crystalline clusters having a size in the range of 1nm to 15 nm in thickness and 2 nm to 60 nm in length.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein said alloy composition exhibits a glass to crystalline onset to peak in the range of 395° C. to 576° C., when measured at a rate of 10° C./min.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein said alloy composition exhibits a primary onset glass transition temperature in the range of 395° C. to 505° C. and a primary peak glass transition temperature in the range of 419° C. to 521° C., when measured at a rate of 10° C./min.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein said alloy composition exhibits a total elongation in the range of 2.27% to 4.78%, when measured at a strain rate of 0.001 s −1 .

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein said alloy composition exhibits an average microhardness in the range of 9.10 GPa to 9.21 GPa when tested under a 50 gram load.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein said alloy composition develops a number of shear bands per linear meter in the range of greater than 1.1×10 2 m −1 to 10 7 m −1 upon application of a tensile force applied at a rate of 0.001s −1 .