Comparative study of the effect of W and Nb addition on microstructure and properties of Zr‒Cu-based thin-film metallic glasses

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F49777513%3A23520%2F25%3A43976158" target="_blank" >RIV/49777513:23520/25:43976158 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

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DOI - Digital Object Identifier

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Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Comparative study of the effect of W and Nb addition on microstructure and properties of Zr‒Cu-based thin-film metallic glasses

Original language description

This study explores the effect of gradual addition of W (negative mixing enthalpy with Zr but positive with Cu) and Nb (positive mixing enthalpy with both Zr and Cu) on microstructure and properties of Zr‒Cu-based TFMGs. Two film series, W‒Zr‒Cu and Nb‒Zr‒Cu, were prepared, keeping Zr:Cu as 1:1 and gradually varying the W and Nb content in the respective series. Each deposition was done in Ar using three magnetrons equipped with Zr and W/Nb targets operated in the dc regime and a Cu target in the HiPIMS regime.A systematic investigation revealed that W and Nb additions have a significant impact on microstructure and other properties of the films. The films remain amorphous with smooth surfaces (roughness &lt; 2 nm) up to 65 at.% of W or Nb, displaying vein-like features typical of metallic glasses upon fracture. W‒Zr‒Cu films with 67 at.% W are characterized by a combination of featureless structures (amorphous-like) close to the substrate and thin columns in the upper part of the film. Films with even higher W contents grow in a V-shaped columnar microstructure corresponding to the bcc α-W crystalline structure. Nb‒Zr‒Cu films with 70 at.% Nb clearly exhibit a dual-phase structure with thin columns surrounded by vein-like features. Further increase in the Nb content above 70 at.% leads to the formation of a crystalline structure with parallel columns and very small voids. These voids tend to vanish with increasing Nb content. A gradual increase in hardness and reduced Young’s modulus is observed with increasing W content for the amorphous W‒Zr‒Cu films and the crystalline films show an enhancement in hardness of up to 15% compared to films with pure W due to solid solution hardening. In the case of Nb‒Zr‒Cu films with up to 70 at.% Nb, the hardness remains nearly constant. However, further addition of Nb results in a decreased hardness and this reduction might be attributed to a less dense structure of the films.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

O - Miscellaneous

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

20506 - Coating and films

Project

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Continuities

S - Specificky vyzkum na vysokych skolach

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů