Atomic scale characterization of deformation-induced interfacial mixing in a Cu/V nanocomposite wire

The microstructure of a Cu/V nanocomposite wire processed by cold drawing was investigated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and atom probe tomography. The experimental data clearly reveal some deformation-induced interfacial mixing where the vanadium filaments are nanoscaled. The mixed layer is a 2 nm wide vanadium gradient in the face-centered cubic (fcc) Cu phase. This mechanical mixing leads to the local fragmentation and dissolution of the filaments and to the formation of vanadium supersaturated solid solutions in fcc Cu.