High strength-ductility of thin nanocrystalline palladium films with nanoscale twins: On-chip testing and grain aggregate model

The mechanical behaviour of thin nanocrystalline palladium films with an ∼30 nm in plane grain size has been characterized on chip under uniaxial tension. The films exhibit a large strain hardening capacity and a significant increase in the strength with decreasing thickness. Transmission electron microscopy has revealed the presence of a moderate density of growth nanotwins interacting with dislocations. A semi-analytical grain aggregate model is proposed to investigate the impact of different contributions to the flow behaviour, involving the effect of twins, of grain size and of the presence of a thin surface layer. This model provides guidelines to optimizing the strength/ductility ratio of the films.