Toughening effect of Ni on nc-CrAlN/a-SiNx hard nanocomposite

▸ Ni doped nc-CrAlN/a-SiNx nanocomposite is synthesized via magnetron sputtering. ▸ Microstructure evolution of Ni doped nc-CrAlN/a-SiNx is revealed. ▸ Toughening effect of Ni on hard nc-CrAlN/a-SiNx nanocomposite is investigated.