中国有色金属学报(英文版)
Transactions of Nonferrous Metals Society of China
| Vol. 36 No. 2 February 2026 |
（a Center for Research on the Preparation and Properties of New Functional Materials, School of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Hanjiang Normal University, Shiyan 442000, China;
b School of Materials and Chemistry, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China;
c Shanghai Tool Factory Company Limited, Shanghai 200093, China;
d Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville TN 37996, USA）
Abstract:The dependence of interface structure and mechanical properties on the modulation layer thickness of VN/TiN-Ni nano-multilayered films deposited on Si substrates using a reactive magnetron sputtering technique was systematically investigated. The films were characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and nanoindentation. The results show that the TiN-Ni layer grows epitaxially on the VN layer, forming a coherent interface between the two sublayers. When the deposition time ratio of the two sublayers (TTiN-Ni？TVN) is 10？12, the films exhibit remarkable mechanical properties, with hardness, elastic modulus, and fracture toughness values of 25.9 GPa, 317 GPa, and 1.88 MPa·m1/2, respectively. Meanwhile, fracture toughness is improved by approximately 50% compared to the VN monolithic film. This enhancement is attributed to the coherent interface between the sublayers and the phase separation in the TiN-Ni layer.
Key words: nano-multilayered film; modulation-layer thickness; phase separation; strengthening; fracture toughness
