Background: Amorphous alloy has special application prospects in nuclear reactors and electromagnetic fields because of its excellent shielding properties. Purpose: This paper attempts to study the effects of minor addition Sm on the microstructure
glass-forming ability and thermal stability of the Cu-based Cu50Zr45Al5 bulk metallic glass (BMG) and the ?-ray shielding properties of the Cu-Zr-Al-Sm amorphous alloys. Methods: (Cu50Zr45Al5)100?xSmx (x?0
1
2
3 and 4) alloys plates are prepared by copper mold suction casting. The microstructure
thermal stability and the ?-ray shielding properties of the prepared samples are carried out by X-ray diffraction (XRD)
differential scanning calorimeters (DSC)
differential thermal analysis (DTA) and NaI(T1) scintillation gamma spectrometer. Results: The experimental results show that the Cu10Zr7 and ZrCu phases are precipitated when Sm addition exceeds 3%(at%)
otherwise the alloys are fully amorphous state. Minor addition Sm improved the thermal stability of the base alloy. The linear absorption coefficient of (Cu50Zr45Al5)99Sm1 amorphous alloys against 137Cs and 60Co ?-ray are 0.49cm?1 and 0.69cm?1
respectively. Conclusion: The shielding property of (Cu50Zr45Al5)99Sm1 BMG is between Pb and Al