| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1666304 | Thin Solid Films | 2013 | 9 Pages |
•Biomimetic approach to TiN-diamond-like carbon (DLC) multilayers by sputtering•Investigation of deformation in/around hardness indents by HR-TEM•Plastic deformation with shearing in 7-nm thick Ti interlayers in TiN–DLC multilayers•Biomimetically comparable to nacre deformation
The paper reports about a biomimetic based comparison of deformation in magnetron sputtered multilayer coatings based on titanium (Ti), titanium nitride (TiN) and diamond-like carbon (DLC) layers and the deformation mechanisms in nacre of mollusc shells. Nacre as highly mineralized tissue combines high stiffness and hardness with high toughness, enabling resistance to fracture and crack propagation during tensile loading. Such behaviour is based on a combination of load transmission by tensile stressed aragonite tablets and shearing in layers between the tablets. Shearing in these polysaccharide and protein interlayers demands hydrated conditions. Otherwise, nacre has similar brittle behaviour to aragonite. To prevent shear failure, shear hardening occurs by progressive tablet locking due to wavy dovetail-like surface geometry of the tablets. Similar effects by shearing and strain hardening mechanisms were found for Ti interlayers between TiN and DLC layers in high-resolution transmission electron microscopy studies, performed in deformed zones beneath spherical indentations. 7 nm thin Ti films are sufficient for strong toughening of the whole multi-layered coating structure, providing a barrier for propagation of cracks, starting from tensile-stressed, hard, brittle TiN or DLC layers.
