The superhardness effect of nanocomposite films is closely related to the thickness of the interfacial phase, . The influence of the thickness of on the growth structure and mechanical properties of nanocomposite films was determined by studying multilayers with different thicknesses of layers to reveal the strengthening mechanism of the nanocomposite films. The results show that , which is amorphous in single film, can exist as a crystalline structure in multilayers when the thickness of the layers is less than because of the “template effect” of . As a result, and layers form a coherent epitaxial growth with a preferred orientation. As a result, the multilayers exhibit a superhardness effect. When the thickness is greater than , exists as an amorphous structure and prevents from coherent epitaxial growth with it, resulting in the decrease of the hardness and elastic moduli of the multilayers. The experiments reveal that when the thickness is less than , the interfacial phase in nanocomposite films may have the same structure as that in multilayers. The strengthening mechanism of nanocomposite films may be the same as that of nanomultilayers formed by the coherent epitaxial growth of two layers with different moduli.
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January 2005
Research Article|
December 15 2004
Study on the superhardness mechanism of nanocomposite films: Influence of the thickness of the interfacial phase
Xiaoping Hu;
Xiaoping Hu
The State Key Lab of Metal Matrix Composites, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
, No. 1954 Huashan Road, Shanghai, China, 200030 Republic of China
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Huijuan Zhang;
Huijuan Zhang
Key Lab for High Temperature Materials and Testing of the Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
, No. 1954 Huashan Road, Shanghai, China, 200030 Republic of China
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Jiawei Dai;
Jiawei Dai
Key Lab for High Temperature Materials and Testing of the Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
, No. 1954 Huashan Road, Shanghai, China, 200030 Republic of China
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Geyang Li;
Geyang Li
a)
The State Key Lab of Metal Matrix Composites, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
, No. 1954 Huashan Road, Shanghai, China, 200030 Republic of China
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Mingyuan Gu
Mingyuan Gu
The State Key Lab of Metal Matrix Composites, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
, No. 1954 Huashan Road, Shanghai, China, 200030 Republic of China
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a)
Electronic mail: gyli.sjtu.edu.cn
Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology A 23, 114–117 (2005)
Article history
Received:
January 15 2004
Accepted:
September 27 2004
Citation
Xiaoping Hu, Huijuan Zhang, Jiawei Dai, Geyang Li, Mingyuan Gu; Study on the superhardness mechanism of nanocomposite films: Influence of the thickness of the interfacial phase. Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology A 1 January 2005; 23 (1): 114–117. https://doi.org/10.1116/1.1821583
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