Correlating point defects with mechanical properties in nanocrystalline TiN thin films

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

Authors

  • Zhaoli Zhang
  • Arsham Ghasemi
  • Nikola Koutná
  • Zhen Xu
  • Thomas Grünstäudl
  • Kexing Song
  • Yunbin He
  • Paul Heinz Mayrhofer

External Organisational units

  • Erich Schmid Institute of Materials Science
  • Institute of Materials Science and Technology
  • Henan University of Science and Technology
  • Hubei University

Abstract

Defects significantly affect the mechanical properties of materials. However, quantitatively correlating the point defects with mechanical property could be a challenge. In this study, we explore the point defect effects on the structure and property of magnetron sputtered TiN nanocrystalline films (synthesized using different negative bias potential) via a combination of analytical techniques and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. We gain insights into the structural evolution and properties of nanocrystalline films at different length scales. It is found that nanocrystal microstructure and local electronic structure triggered by various point defects remarkably change. Along with the structural evolution and point defect changes, the electrical conductivity and the fracture toughness of TiN are improved. Furthermore, the fracture toughness, Young's modulus, and cleavage energy and stresses for TiN films with different point defect structures are calculated. The experimental data is in excellent agreement with first-principle calculations. Our results suggest a direct correlation of the point defect structure with TiN films' mechanical properties.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number109844
Pages (from-to)1-10
JournalMaterials and Design
Volume207.2021
Issue numberSeptember
Early online date23 May 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2021