ELECTRICAL RESISTOMETRIC DETECTION OF RELAXATION IN AN AMORPHOUS PD-SI-SB ALLOY

The effects of configurational relaxation on the electrical resistivity of a metallic glass, PdSiSb over the temperature range 30-400°C were studied. At low temperatures, the resistivity was representable as a quadratic form in the temperature. Define Δ ̃gr as the deviation of ρ from this formula (due to relaxation). As the temperature rises, Δ ̃gr drops, reaching a minimum, -0.80% of ρ(RT), then rises again, finally dropping due to crystallization. A fictive-température model, with relaxation rates given by free-volume theory, quantitatively explains the data. © 1979.