•New metallic-metalloid FeCoNi(P, C, B) HE-BMGs were developed.•The HE-BMGs have comparable Tg and ΔTx to Zr-based BMGs but much higher strength.•The HE-BMGs exhibit good soft magnetic properties.•Mechanism of good stability was discussed in view of the crystallization behaviors.•Correlation between strength and Tg for HE-BMGs was analyzed.New Fe25Co25Ni25(P, C, B)25 high entropy bulk metallic glasses (HE-BMGs) with large supercooled liquid region (ΔTx) and excellent soft magnetic and mechanical properties were developed. Fully HE-BMG rods were successfully prepared by copper mold casting in the composition region of 7.5–12.5 at% P, 7.5–10 at% C, and 5–10 at% B, respectively. The HE-BMGs possess low glass transition temperature (Tg) of ∼672 K and large ΔTx of ∼56 K, which are comparable to those of Zr-based BMGs, whereas exhibit much higher yield strength of ∼3210 MPa with distinct plasticity. The alloys also show low coercivity of ∼1.2 A/m and high saturation magnetization of ∼0.86 T. The mechanism of good stability of the supercooled liquid and the correlation between strength and Tg for the HE-BMGs were discussed.

•FeNiCrMoPCB BMGs with a diameter of 2.5 mm and good corrosion resistance are formed.•The BMGs exhibit large ΔTx up to 60 K and low Tg of below 690 K.•The BMGs show superior corrosion resistance in acid media to that of SUS316L steel.•The BMGs exhibit high strength of over 3 GPa with distinct plastic strain of 1.2%.Co-addition of appropriate Mo, Cr and Ni in the Fe80P12C4B4 alloy not only enhances the thermal stability of the supercooled liquid and glass-forming ability (GFA) but also reduces the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the Fe-based metallic glass. The Fe55Ni15Cr7Mo3P12C4B4 bulk metallic glass (BMG) exhibits a low Tg of 690 K, large supercooled liquid region (ΔTx) of 60 K, and high GFA with a critical diameter of 2.5 mm. The co-addition of Mo, Cr and Ni remarkably improves the corrosion resistance of the BMGs in 1 M HCl and 0.5 M H2SO4 solutions, which is superior compared to the SUS316L stainless steel. The alloys also possess high compressive yield strength of ~ 3.01 GPa with distinct plastic strain of ~ 1.2%. The good combination of low Tg, large ΔTx, high GFA, excellent corrosion resistance and mechanical properties makes the developed (Fe, Ni, Cr, Mo)80P12C4B4 BMGs show great promise as anti-corrosion materials suitable for thermoplastic processing.

•Addition of La and Co enhances the stability of supercooled liquid and GFA of an AlNiEr metallic glass.•An Al85Ni5Co2Er6La2 metallic glass shows large supercooled liquid region of 40 K.•The metallic glass has low viscosity on the order of ∼107 Pa s in the supercooled liquid state.•The nano-scale glassy patterns can be formed precisely by imprinting.Addition of a small amount of La and Co enhances the stabilization of supercooled liquid and glass-forming ability (GFA) of an Al85Ni7Er8 metallic glass. The Al85Ni5Co2Er6La2 alloy exhibits large supercooled liquid region of 40 K, high GFA with a critical thickness of 450 μm, and the viscosities on the order of 107−109 Pa s in the supercooled liquid state. The Al-based glassy nano-scale patterns were formed by imprinting, indicating its good thermoplastic formability. The possible mechanism for the improvement of the supercooled liquid stability of the AlNiEr alloy by addition of La and Co elements was discussed in terms of the crystallization behavior.

•Substitution of Co and Ni for Fe in an Fe75P10C10B5 metallic glass effectively increases the GFA.•The BMGs with large supercooled liquid region were obtained in a wide composition range.•An Fe40Co20Ni15P10C10B5 BMG exhibits good soft magnetic and mechanical properties.•The BMG shows low viscosity on the order of ∼108 Pa s in the supercooled liquid state.•The nano-scale Fe-based glassy patterns can be formed precisely by imprinting.Substitution of Co and Ni for Fe in an Fe75P10C10B5 metallic glass effectively increases the stability of supercooled liquid and glass-forming ability. The bulk metallic glasses with large supercooled liquid region (ΔTx) exceeding 50 K and the critical sample diameter (dc) of over 1 mm were obtained in a wide composition range from 30 to 60 at.% Fe, 0 to 45 at.% Co and 0 to 40 at.% Ni in the (Fe, Co, Ni)75P10C10B5 alloy system by copper mold casting. An Fe40Co20Ni15P10C10B5 alloy shows maximum dc of 2.5 mm, largest ΔTx of 60 K, low glass transition temperature of 675 K, low viscosity on the order of 108–109 Pa s in the supercooled liquid state, high compressive yield strength of 2860 MPa with a distinct plastic strain, and good soft magnetic properties, i.e., rather high saturation magnetization of 1.13 T and low coercive force of 3.8 A/m. The nano-scale Fe40Co20Ni15P10C10B5 glassy patterns were precisely formed by imprinting, indicating its good thermoplastic formability.

•FeCoNiPCB BMGs with dc of 2–2.5 mm and good soft magnetic properties are synthesized.•The BMGs show low Tg below 687 K and large ΔTx up to 60 K.•The BMGs exhibit low viscosity in the supercooled liquid state.•The soft magnetic BMGs are advantageous for using as thermoplastic materials.•The effects of Co and Ni addition in Fe-based BMGs are evaluated.Soft magnetic Fe–Co–Ni–P–C–B bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) with good combination of superior glass-forming ability (GFA), low glass transition temperature (Tg) and large supercooled liquid region (ΔTx) were reported in this work. The experimental results show that the GFA and ΔTx of a Fe75P10C10B5 metallic glass can be enhanced effectively with the addition of Co and Ni elements, while the Tg is depressed. The (Fe, Co, Ni)75P10C10B5 fully glassy rods with diameters up to 2.5 mm can be achieved by copper mold casting, and the BMGs exhibit low Tg of 664–687 K, large ΔTx of 58–60 K, and low viscosity of 5.0–6.2 × 108 Pa·s in the supercooled liquid state, indicating high thermoplastic formability. Mechanical and magnetic measurements demonstrate that the (Fe, Co, Ni)75P10C10B5 BMGs exhibit high fracture strength of 2920–2990 MPa, and excellent soft magnetic properties, i.e., rather high saturation magnetization of 1.02–1.22 T and low coercive force of 3.8–5.2 A/m. The present Fe-based BMGs with good combination of superior properties are promising functional materials.

•Fe–Co–Ni–B–Si high entropy bulk metallic glasses (HE-BMGs) are synthesized.•The HE-BMGs show high Tg and wide supercooled liquid region.•The HE-BMGs show good soft magnetic properties with coercive force below 2.3 A/m.•The HE-BMGs exhibit high yield strength, which are superior to the developed HE-BMGs.New Fe25Co25Ni25(B, Si)25 high entropy bulk metallic glasses (HE-BMGs) with superior soft magnetic and mechanical properties are developed. The HE-BMGs show high glass transition temperature and wide supercooled liquid region (ΔTx). Fully glassy rods with diameters up to 1.5 mm were fabricated for the Fe25Co25Ni25(B0.7Si0.3)25 alloy by copper mold casting method. The HE-BMGs exhibit high yield strength of ∼3624 MPa with large plastic strain of ∼3.1%, which is superior to the pre-developed HE-BMGs. The alloys also possess good soft magnetic properties, i.e., rather high saturation magnetization of ∼0.87 T, low coercive force of ∼1.1 A/m, and high effective permeability at 1 kHz of ∼19,800. This combination of these excellent properties gives the new HE-BMGs good promise for both scientific and engineering applications.

•A Zr56Ni20Al15Nb4Cu5 BMG with a large critical diameter up to 25 mm was obtained.•The BMG possesses high strength of 1915 MPa and large plastic strain of 5.5%.•The BMG exhibits excellent corrosion resistance in H2SO4, HCl, and NaCl solutions.The glass-forming ability (GFA), mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of Zr56Ni25−xAl15Nb4Cux (x = 0–15) bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) were investigated. Substitution of 5 at.% Cu for Ni greatly increases the GFA of the base alloy by lowering the liquidus temperature, while further addition of 10–15 at.% Cu decreases the GFA. A new Zr56Ni20Al15Nb4Cu5 BMG with a largest critical diameter up to 25 mm can be obtained by copper mold casting method. The BMG with best GFA possesses good mechanical properties, i.e., high strength of 1915 MPa, large plastic strain of 5.5%, together with Young’s modulus of 100 GPa. In addition, the BMG exhibits excellent corrosion resistance in H2SO4, HCl, and NaCl solutions, respectively, as indicated by the nobler corrosion potential and pitting potential.

•Substitution of 5–10 at.% Pt for Fe in the Fe70B30 alloy increases the amorphous-forming ability.•L10-FePt and Fe2B phases are formed for melt-spun Fe70−xPtxB30 (x = 5–20) alloys after annealing.•Annealed Fe70−xPtxB30 (x = 10–20) alloys exhibit the characterizations of nanocomposite magnets.The phase evolution, thermal stability, structure and magnetic properties of the melt-spun Fe70−xPtxB30 (x = 0–20) alloys have been investigated. Addition of small amounts of Pt to the Fe70B30 alloy increases the amorphous-forming ability, leading to the formation of an amorphous phase in the alloys with x = 5 and 10. Further increase in Pt content results in the formation of the fcc-FePt + Fe2B or fcc-FePt + L10-FePt + Fe2B crystalline phases. After appropriate annealing, the homogeneous nano-sized structure consisting of hard L10-FePt and soft Fe2B magnetic phases were formed for the alloys with x = 10–20, which exhibited good hard magnetic properties. As the Pt content increase, the coercivity (iHc) of the L10-FePt/Fe2B nanocomposite alloys significantly increased, while the remanence (Br) decreased. The Br, reduced remanence (Mr/Ms), iHc, and energy product (BH)max of the alloys are in the range of 0.81–1.20 T, 0.76–0.84, 173.2–523.1 kA/m, and 64.0–88.3 kJ/m3, respectively.

•Addition of Ag and Cu greatly enhances the glass-forming ability of the Pd–Si alloys.•BMG rods with diameters of up to 1 cm can be made by Cu mold casting without fluxing.•The BMGs exhibit excellent thermoplastic formability in the supercooled liquid state.New P-free Pd-based bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) with high glass-forming ability (GFA) were synthesized in Pd–Si–Ag–Cu alloy system, based on a binary Pd83Si17 alloy. Combined addition of Ag and Cu greatly enhances the stability of supercooled liquid and GFA. The Pd-based BMGs have large supercooled liquid region of 66–77 K. The best GFA was obtained for Pd75Si15Ag3Cu7 alloy, and the glassy rods with diameters of up to 10 mm were fabricated by copper mold casting method without fluxing treatment. These BMGs also exhibit low viscosity of ∼2 × 107 Pa s in the supercooled liquid state, excellent thermoplastic formability, high compressive yield strength of ∼1626 MPa, and large plastic strain of ∼0.063.

The effects of alloying elements on the thermal stability, glass-forming ability (GFA), corrosion resistance, and magnetic and mechanical properties of a soft magnetic Fe75P10C10B5 metallic glass with a low glass transition temperature (Tg) of 723 K (450°C) were investigated. The addition of Mo, Ni, and Co significantly increased the stabilization of supercooled liquid, GFA, and corrosion resistance in the H2SO4 solution. The maximum critical diameter (dc) of 4 mm for glass formation was obtained for the Fe55Co10Ni5Mo5P10C10B5 alloy, which shows the largest supercooled liquid region (ΔTx) of 89 K (89 °C). The substitution of Cr for Mo further enhanced the corrosion resistance of the Fe55Co10Ni5Mo5P10C10B5, while the ΔTx and dc decreased. The (Fe, Ni, Co)70(Mo, Cr)5P10C10B5 bulk metallic glasses showed low Tg of 711 K to 735 K (438 °C to 462 °C), wide ΔTx of 67 K to 89 K, high saturation magnetization of 0.79 to 0.93 T, low coercive force of 2.36 to 6.61 A m−1, high compressive yield strength of 3271 to 3370 MPa, and plastic strain of 0.8 to 2.3 pct. In addition, the mechanism for enhancing stability of supercooled liquid was discussed in terms of the precipitated phases during crystallization.

The effects of cryogenic temperatures on mechanical behavior of a Zr60Ni25Al15 bulk metallic glass (BMG) with high glass-forming ability were investigated. With lowering the temperature from 293 K to 77 K, the compressive yield stress of the BMG increases from 1791 MPa to 2217 MPa, and the compressive plastic strain enhances from 3.5% to 16.7%. Similarly, the BMG exhibits an enhanced tensile fracture stress of 2036 MPa and a distinct tensile plastic strain of 0.14% at 77 K, compared to those of 1743 MPa and 0 at 293 K, respectively. In addition, the elastic moduli and Debye temperature of the BMG increase monotonously with decreasing temperature. The mechanisms of enhanced strength and plasticity of BMGs at cryogenic temperatures are discussed in terms of the inter-atomic bonding and the mobility and coalescence of free volumes.

The thermal stability and the kinetics of glass transition and crystallization for Zr75−xNi25Alx (x = 8–15) metallic glasses were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) under continuous heating conditions. The apparent activation energy of glass transition rises monotonously with the Al content increasing; the activation energy of crystallization increases with Al changing from 8at% to 15at%, and then decreases with Al further up to 24at%, which exhibits a good correlation to the thermal stability and the glass-forming ability (GFA). The Zr60Ni25Al15 metallic glass with the largest supercooled liquid region and GFA possesses the highest activation energy of crystallization. The relation between the thermal stability, GFA and activation energy of crystallization was discussed in terms of the primary precipitated phases.

•Ultrafine nanoporous PtFe alloy has been fabricated by dealloying an amorphous Fe60Pt10B30 alloy.•The nanoporous PtFe alloy is composed of a single face-centered-cubic FePt phase.•The nanoporous PtFe alloy exhibits superior electrocatalytic activity for methanol oxidation reaction.•The nanoporous PtFe alloy exhibits soft magnetic characteristics.A nanoporous PtFe (np-PtFe) alloy composed of a single face-centered-cubic FePt phase has been fabricated by electrochemically dealloying an amorphous Fe60Pt10B30 alloy in 0.1 mol L−1 H2SO4 solution. The np-PtFe alloy possesses a fine bicontinuous ligament/channel structure with average ligament and pore sizes of about 7 and 5 nm, respectively. The np-PtFe alloy exhibits superior electrocatalytic activity for methanol oxidation reaction in the acid media to the commercial Johnson Matthey Pt/C catalyst and soft magnetic characteristics with a saturation magnetization of 19.09 emu/g.