Low temperature specific heat of bulk glassy and crystalline Zr41Ti14Cu12.5Ni10Be22.5 alloys

The low temperature specific heat of Zr41Ti14Cu12.5Ni10Be22.5 alloys in gla ssy and crystalline states has been investigated. The glassy state of the a lloy shows much larger specific heat than that of the crystalline state. Th e density of states at the Fermi level and Debye temperatures, theta (D) of the alloys are determined. It is found that the density of states at the F ermi level for the glassy state is higher than that for crystalline state, the phenomenon is interpreted by localization of electrons in the glassy al loy. A much smaller value of theta (D) in the glassy state indicates marked soften transverse phonons compared to its corresponding crystalline state. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.