Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
This paper reports the atom probe analysis results of the oxygen dissolved in the as-cast amorphous and crystallized Zr65Cu15Al10Pd10 and Zr65Cul17.5Ni10Al17.5 alloys. Impurity oxygen ranging from 0.1 to 1 at.% is dissolved uniformly in the as-quenched Zr65Cu15A110Pd10 and Zr65Cu17.5Ni10Al7.5 amorphous alloys even though the oxygen is not added intentionally. When the Zr65Cu15Al10Pd10 alloy is crystallized, oxygen redistribution occurs; it is rejected from the primary Zr2 (Cu, Pd) crystals and partitioned in the subsequently crystallized phases. Oxygen atoms are enriched in some of the crystalline phases up to approximately 4 at.%, and virtually no oxygen is dissolved in the remaining amorphous phase. In the partially crystallized Zr65Cu17.5Ni10Al7.5 alloy, fine oxygen enriched particles containing ∼ 15 at.%O have been detected in direct contacted with crystalline grains. This work demonstrates that oxygen redistribution occurs during the crystallization reaction, thereby influencing the kinetics of crystallization.