Thermodynamic and kinetic characteristics of glass transition in an amorphous alloy Pd77.5Ni6.0Si16.5

Variation of some thermodynamic functions of an amorphous alloy Pd77.5Ni6.0 Si16.5 in glass transition temperature region during various scans was meas ured by a differential scanning calorimeter. The Gibbs free energy of glass y state was examined to be larger than that of the undercooled liquid state when the specimen was heated up to the glass transition temperature region , which supports the idea of what there are thermodynamic origins underlyin g glass transition process. On the of her hand, it was found that glass tra nsition behaved differently during heating and cooling scans. Moreover, wit h increase of heating rate, the glass transition process was delayed gradua lly to higher temperatures. It can be concluded that glass transition is a kinetically modified thermodynamic phase transformation.