Multilayer films of the Cu-Nb system formed on a substrate by the vacuum-arc plasma-assisted method

Abstract

The Cu-Nb system, due to a significant mismatch between the crystal lattice parameters of copper and niobium, as well as a large difference in melting points, refers to systems immiscible in the solid phase and, therefore, is defined as a pseudo-alloy. A large number of interphase boundaries formed during crystallization of the pseudo-alloy imparts to it exceptional mechanical, electrical, thermal and many other properties. The scope of application of pseudo-alloys is wide: electronic devices, materials for aerospace and nuclear installations, medicine. The paper presents the results obtained in studying the structure and properties of Cu-Nb system films formed by the vacuum-arc plasma-assisted method on the surface of VT6 titanium alloy and VK8 hard alloy samples. It is shown that Cu-Nb films are a multilayer two-phase (copper and niobium) amorphous-crystalline material. The microhardness of the films is 6.8 GPa, which is several times (more than 5 times) higher than the microhardness of polycrystalline niobium; wear parameter (the reciprocal of wear resistance) k = 2.2·10-5 mm3N-1m-1, which is approximately 25 times less than the wear parameter of pure copper.