Nanoscale icosahedral quasicrystalline phase formation in a rapidly solidified Zr80Pt20 binary alloy

It is found that an icosahedral quasicrystalline phase is directly formed in a Zr80Pt20 binary alloy during rapid solidification from the melt. The size of the icosahedral particles lies in the diameter range below 10 nm, and the particles are distributed homogeneously. The formation of the nanoscale icosahedral phase indicates that the icosahedral short-range order exists in the melted state of Zr-Pt binary alloy. The strong chemical affinity between Zr and Pt contributes to the restraint of the long-range rearrangement of constitutional elements to form a stable crystalline phase, which is the important factor of the stabilization of an icosahedral phase. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(00)05027-0].