Coincidence of collective relaxation anomaly and specific heat peak in a bulk metallic glass-forming liquid

The study of relaxational behavior of multicomponent metallic liquids still holds the key to understanding and improving the glass-forming abilities of bulk metallic glasses. Herein, we report measurements of the collective relaxation times in a melted bulk metallic glass (LM 601 Zr sub(15) Cu sub(36) Ni sub(4) Al sub(9))in the kinetic regime (Q: 1.5-4.0A super(-1)) using quasielastic neutron scattering. The results reveal an unusual slope change in the Angell plots of the collective relaxation time of this metallic liquid around 950[degrees]C, beyond the melting point of the material. Specific heat capacity measurement also reveals the presence of a peak around the same temperature. The coincidence is rationalized using Adams-Gibbs theory, and motivates more careful experimental and computational studies of the metallic liquids in the future.