Strategy for simultaneously increasing both hardness and toughness in ZrB2-rich Zr1−xTaxBy thin films

Abstract

Refractory transition-metal (TM) diborides exhibit inherent hardness. However, this is not always sufficient to prevent failure in applications involving high mechanical and thermal stress, since hardness is typically accompanied by brittleness leading to crack formation and propagation. Toughness, the combination of hardness and ductility, is required to avoid brittle fracture. Here, we demonstrate a strategy for simultaneously enhancing both hardness and ductility of ZrB2-rich thin films grown in pure Ar on Al2O3(0001) and Si(001) substrates at 475 °C. ZrB2.4 layers are

Solute distributions in tantalum‐containing zirconium diboride ceramics

“…Another possibility is the formation of a Zr‐B‐N glassy phase similar to the Hf‐B‐N phase that was observed in grain boundaries of HfB 2 ‐based composites reported by Silvestroni et al During the field evaporation process, though, the bonds between N and either Zr or B were broken and the ions were detected individually, which prevented unambiguous identification of the N‐containing species by APT. Such N contamination was not noted in the prior APT studies of ZrB 2 processed by physical vapor deposition; however, these studies did note the isolation of excesses of B and Ta to the boundary regions between columns . This dataset demonstrates that APT is an appropriate tool to collect detailed chemical information about impurity distribution as a function of processing parameters in electrically conductive borides.…”

“…Such N contamination was not noted in the prior APT studies of ZrB 2 processed by physical vapor deposition; however, these studies did note the isolation of excesses of B and Ta to the boundary regions between columns. 33,34 This dataset demonstrates that APT is an appropriate tool to collect detailed chemical information about impurity distribution as a function of processing parameters in electrically conductive borides.…”

“…The same study also found that in sputtered thin films of ZrB 2.5 , the resulting microstructure was composed of columnar grains of ZrB 2 with a continuous network of B‐rich material surrounding the columns . Zr 0.8 Ta 0.2 B 1.8 thin films have also been analyzed via APT and were found to consist of a similar columnar structure with a metal‐rich boundary between columns which contained a higher concentration of Ta . Unlike the previous work, where the ZrB 2 was deposited as a thin coating, here we provide APT characterization of the same material but produced by reactive hot pressing of bulk samples.…”

“…33 Zr 0.8 Ta 0.2 B 1.8 thin films have also been analyzed via APT and were found to consist of a similar columnar structure with a metal-rich boundary between columns which contained a higher concentration of Ta. 34 Unlike the previous work, where the ZrB 2 was deposited as a thin coating, here we provide APT characterization of the same material but produced by reactive hot pressing of bulk samples. Production of bulk ZrB 2 from commercial powders with conventional powder processing methods is more susceptible to intrinsic impurities than vacuum-based physical vapor deposition.…”

Evaluation of Corrosion Resistance of Thin Films Formed on AISI 316L Steel by Plasma Using Hastelloy as Cathodic Cage

“…In the past decades, the deposition of thin films has been a strategic alternative to provide improved surface properties. The development of protective layers on metallic substrates has enabled good wear resistance, [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] corrosion protection, [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] enhanced surface hardness, [25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34] and superior biocompatibility. [18,20,[35][36][37][38][39][40] Plasma deposition procedure is a promising technique that can be used to supply thin films, aiming at applications such as magnetron sputtering, [2,3,6,10,12,18,…”