Composites of the Cu 47 Ti 34 Zr 11 Ni 8 bulk metallic glass, reinforced with up to 30 vol % SiC particles are synthesized and characterized. Results based on x-ray diffraction, optical microscopy, scanning Auger microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry ͑DSC͒ are presented. During processing of the composites, a TiC layer forms around the SiC particles and Si diffuses into the Cu 47 Ti 34 Zr 11 Ni 8 matrix stabilizing the supercooled liquid against crystallization. The small Si

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... between 0.5 and 1 at. % increases the attainable maximum thickness of glassy ingots from 4 mm for Cu-Ti-Zr-Ni alloys to 7 mm for Cu-Ti-Zr-Ni-Si alloys. DSC analyses show that neither the thermodynamics nor the kinetics of the alloy are affected significantly by the Si addition. This suggests that Si enhances the glass forming ability by chemically passivating impurities such as oxygen and carbon that cause heterogeneous nucleation in the melt.