University of Sao Paulo - USP
Nanocrystalline thin films are widely utilized due to their high mechanical strength and wear resistance. However, a significant challenge is to prevent undesired grain growth, particularly at elevated temperatures, due to the increased grain boundary volume, which elevates the system's overall energy. Addressing this issue requires the identification of optimal heat treatment conditions and the selection of appropriate chemistry to stabilize grain boundaries. This study investigates the grain growth and phase evolution within Ti-Cr-Zr magnetron sputtered nano multilayers, featuring individual layer thicknesses of 5 and 10 nm, subjected to vacuum heat treatment at 1100 °C for 5 and 10 min. Characterization techniques, including X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), were employed. During deposition, evidence of diffusion was observed as the multilayers formed phases such as Cr4TiZr, TiCr2, and Cr2Zr. Additionally, the Ti-Cr-Zr nanoscale system multilayers with 10 nm individual layer thickness exhibited the emergence of Ti0.3Zr0.7 phase. Subsequent heat treatment induced grain growth, with an average grain size of 173.7 nm and 119.1 nm noted after 10 minutes for the Ti-Cr-Zr nanoscale system multilayer with 5 nm and 10 nm individual layer thickness, respectively. The distinct growth rates are attributed to variations in nanolayer thickness, influencing reaction velocity through differences in interfacial volumes. No new phases were formed after heat treatment in the case of 10 nm individual layer thickness coating. However, the 5 nm individual layer coatings revealed the emergence of Ti0.3Zr0.7 phase, not present after deposition. In conclusion, this research achieved nano grain stabilization of the Ti-Cr-Zr system nanoscale multilayers after heat treatment at 1100 °C for 10 min. This process resulted in the complete decomposition of the multilayer structure, leading to the formation of grains smaller than 200 nm - a significant advancement in effectively controlling grain growth in nanocrystalline materials.
Abstract
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