Simultaneous enhancement in hardness and He-irradiation tolerance of TiVCr/W medium entropy nanolaminates

Abstract

In this work, we have studied the mechanical properties and He+ ion radiation resistance of TiVCr/W medium entropy nanolaminates with different individual layer thickness (h). The content of β-W decreases with the decreasing h, resulting in the hardness drop at first followed by a steep upturn. The maximum hardness reaches 10.79 GPa at h = 2.5 nm. After irradiation, the radiation hardening rapidly decreases with the reduced h, remaining zero hardening at h = 2.5 nm. The absorption of the He bubbles by the high-density interfaces and the suppression of radiation hardening by TiVCr layer result in the enhanced radiation resistance.