The effects of substitution of Cr for Mo on the mechanical properties of nanocrystalline Mo5Si3 films

Abstract

A series of nanocrystalline (Mo_xCr_1−x)₅Si₃ films with an average grain size of 8 nm has been prepared on Ti-6A1-4V alloy substrates by glow discharge. The effect of substitution of Cr for Mo on the hardness, elastic modulus and plastic deformability of the nanocrystalline (Mo_xCr_1−x)₅Si₃ film was investigated using the nanoindentation method. The results reveal that the hardness of nanocrystalline (Mo_xCr_1−x)₅Si₃ films slightly decreases with increasing Cr content. In contrast, the plastic deformability significantly increases with increasing Cr content.