The metallic glass samples of Fe₆₇Co₁₈B₁₄Si₁ (2605CO), prepared by the melt spinning technique were procured from the Allied Corporation. The kinetics of crystallization of this multicomponent glassy alloy is studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The crystallization data have been examined in terms of modified Kissinger and Matusita equations for the nonisothermal crystallization. The results show enhanced bulk nucleation in general. At high heating rates added to it is surface induced abnormal grain growth resulting in fractal dimensionality.

Biodegradable polymers represent one of the most significant area of research today. Among these polymers, poly (β-hydroxy butyrate co β′-hydroxy valerate) i.e. PHBV have received special attention because of their unique combination of properties. They are perfectly biocompatible, biodegradable polymers and can be processed by any conventional technique. In the present study an attempt has been made to develop the biodegradable blends of PHBV by blending them with ethyl cellulose (EC). Ethyl cellulose has been selected to monitor the biodegradation rate of PHBV and also for making the blends cost effective. The blends are thoroughly characterized for their compatibility, by the measurement of viscosity of blends and through FT-IR. Various applications of PHBV/EC blend in agriculture and pharmaceutical industries are being explored.

The Fe-based multicomponent amorphous alloys (also referred to as metallic glasses) are known to exhibit soft magnetic properties and, it makes them important for many technological applications. However, metallic glasses are in a thermodynamically metastable state and in case of high temperature operating conditions, the thermally activated crystallization would be detrimental to their magnetic properties. The study of crystallization kinetics of metallic glasses gives useful insight about its thermal stability. In the present work, crystallization study of Fe₆₇Co₁₈B₁₄Si₁ (2605CO) metallic glass has been carried out using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) technique. Mössbauer study has also been undertaken to know the phases formed during the crystallization process. The alloy shows two-stage crystallization. The activation energy has been derived using the Kissinger method. It is found to be equal to 220 kJ/mol and 349 kJ/mol for the first and second crystallization peaks, respectively. The Mössbauer study indicates the formation of 𝛼-(Fe, Co) and (Fe, Co)₃B phases in the alloy.

A quantitative measure of the stability of a glass as compared to its corresponding crystalline state can be obtained by calculating the thermodynamic parameters, such as the Gibbs free energy difference (𝛥𝐺), entropy difference (𝛥𝑆) and the enthalpy difference (𝛥𝐻) between the super-cooled liquid and the corresponding crystalline phase. 𝛥𝐺 is known as the driving force of crystallization. The driving force of crystallization (𝛥𝐺) provides very important information about the glass-forming ability (GFA) of metallic glasses (MGs). Lesser the driving force of crystallization more is the GFA. The 𝛥𝐺 varies linearly with the critical size (𝑑_𝑐). According to Battezzati and Garonne the parameter 𝛾 ( = (1−(𝛥𝐻_𝑥/𝛥𝐻_𝑚))/(1−(𝑇 _𝑥/𝑇 _𝑚))) in the expression for 𝛥𝐺 should be a constant (i.e., 0.8), but its uniqueness is not observed for all MGs. The thermal stability of various alloy compositions is studied by their undercooled liquid region (𝛥𝑇 = 𝑇 _𝑥 − 𝑇 _𝑔). Large 𝛥𝑇 _𝑥 implies greater stability against crystallization of the amorphous structure. Other GFA parameters are also calculated and correlated with critical size (𝑑_𝑐).