Exploring the mechanical size effects in Zr65Ni35 thin film metallic glasses

Mechanical size effects in Zr65Ni35 Thin Film Metallic Glass (TFMG) are studied with an emphasis on a transition in failure mechanisms occurring below 500 nm. XRD and TEM analyses of Zr65Ni35 TFMG confirm the absence of a crystalline phase. The thickness effect on the mechanical properties of Zr65Ni35 TFMGs is investigated using nanoindentation, Brillouin spectroscopy, and fracture tests. Brillouin spectroscopy shows no variation of the elastic constants, while the hardness - measured by nanoindentation - presents a continuous increase with decreasing film thickness. The fracture surface of the TFMGs involves corrugations which disappear when the thickness is reduced below 500 nm. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.