Dislocation assisted face-centered-cubic/body-centered-cubic interface mixing during severe plastic deformation

•Interface diffusion with a width of 2–4 nm was detected in Cu–Cr alloy.•Interface mixing is responsible to more rapid increase of electrical resistivity.

Abundant Cu/Cr interface was produced to study the interfacial diffusion at face-centered-cubic/body-centered-cubic interface during heavy cold drawing. Notable interface diffusion with a width of 2–4 nm at Cu/Cr interface was detected. The appearance of the interdiffusion is well explained by the mechanical mixing mechanism with dislocations gliding through the Cu/Cr interface. The greater inelastic scattering of electrons at the interdiffusion zone was responsible to the more rapid increase of electrical resistivity with the increase of drawing strains.