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Percolation Effects in the Mechanical Properties of Granular Ni-A12O3 thin films

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 February 2011

T.E. Schlesinger
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218
A. Gavrin
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218
R.C. Cammarata
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218
C.-L. Chien
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218
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Abstract

The mechanical properties of sputtered Ni-Al2O3 granular thin films were investigated by low load microharaness testing. It was found that the microhardness of these films displayed a percolation threshold at a nickel volume fraction of about 0.6, below which the hardness is greatly enhanced. This behavior is qualitatively similar to the electrical and magnetic properties of these types of films. A percolation threshold in hardness can be understood as due to a change in the mechanism for plastic deformation.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1990

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References

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