Deformation Mode Transitions in Amorphous – Cu45Zr55/Crystalline – Cu Multilayers

Pure metallic glass materials have exceptional mechanical properties due to their amorphous microstructure; however, they have poor plasticity which prevents their wide-scale application and oftentimes results in catastrophic failure. In order to mitigate the shear banding, which is the cause of poor plasticity in metallic glass, crystalline layers were added to the glassy matrix. Conversely, metallic glass layers have been shown to increase the strength of crystalline materials. The elucidation of the properties of crystalline/amorphous metal composites is necessary in order to utilize these materials on a large scale. The systems analyzed were amorphous Cu45Zr55/crystalline Cu multilayer films, and the deformation of these films under a nanoindentation load will be characterized. The thickness of the glassy layers were altered in order to better characterize the mode of deformation. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were used to create the model and will be used to deform the systems on the atomic level, and a sputtering system will be used to physically create the multilayer films which will be indented and then analyzed with SEM/TEM to potentially support the simulation model findings if the model is accurate.