Amorphization of Zr-Al under mechanical alloying at different temperatures: A re-entrant melting phenomenon

Zr_100-xAl_x powder blends have been subjected to ball milling at different temperatures to investigate the amorphization process. At low temperatures the Zr-Al solid solutions amorphized under the polymorphous constraints, whereas at higher temperatures there was an obvious two-phase coexistence region. The Al concentration for the complete amorphization of Zr-Al increased with increasing temperature, suggesting a re-entrant melting behavior. Both of the temperature- and composition-dependent amorphization mechanisms are analyzed in terms of the thermodynamic properties of the phases involved, as well as the dynamic effects brought in by the non-equilibrium milling process.