Microstructure and nanoindentation hardness of Ag/Fe multilayers

• Published in: Transactions of Nonferrous Metals Society of China Vol. 20; no. 1; pp. 110 - 114
• Main Authors: ZHU, Xiao-ying, LIU, Xue-jing, ZENG, Fei, PAN, Feng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 2010; Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Department of Materials Science and Engineering,Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; National Key Laboratory for Remanufacturing, Academy of Armored Forces Engi%Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Department of Materials Science and Engineering,Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
• Subjects: Ag/Fe multilayers; Deposition; Hardness; Iron; Microstructure; Modulation; Multilayers; Nanoindentation; nanoindentation hardness; periodicity; Silver; structure; periodicity; nanoindentation hardness; Ag/Fe multilayers; structure
• ISSN: 1003-6326
• DOI: 10.1016/S1003-6326(09)60105-9

Ag/Fe multilayers with well compositional modulation periodicity of 4–60 nm were prepared at room temperature by evaporation deposition using an ultra high vacuum (UHV) chamber. Their microstructure and hardness were investigated using XRD, TEM and nanoindentation. The fcc/bcc type multilayers show a textured polycrystalline growth with Ag (111) and Fe (110) in Ag layers and Fe layers, respectively. The hardness increases with decreasing periodicity and approaches the maximum of 6.36 GPa at the periodicity of 4 nm. The peak hardness is 1.51 times mixture value. The experimental results are well explained by the dislocation-image force-based model developed by Lehoczky.