Synthesis, structure and deformation behaviour of superhard and damage tolerant PVD thin films based on nano structured nitrides of high-entropy multicomponent alloys

尽管对具有高热稳定性（T > 1000°C）的超硬（硬度> 40 GPa）但坚韧的薄膜有很大的工业需求，但目前不能合成这样的薄膜。一方面，通常用于保护工具和部件的侧面薄膜仅部分满足这些标准。另一方面，决定这些薄膜的机械性能的变形和损伤行为还没有完全理解。因此，该项目提案的目的是在高熵合金氮化物的基础上合成新的超硬而坚韧的薄膜系统，探索其机械性能并确定潜在的变形和损伤机制。通过将HEA氮化物的利用与纳米结构薄膜的设计概念相结合，假定可以首次同时实现上述三个标准。为了建立基于HEA氮化物的新型超硬但坚韧薄膜系统的合成的基本原理，预期项目将复杂薄膜的开发及其产生的机械性能的综合专业知识（Leyens）的机械行为和损伤机制的表征以及它们之间的相互关系（Zimmermann）。在预定的项目中，将建立对新开发的薄膜系统的结构和机械性能之间的相关性的全面理解。所得结果可推广应用于具有面心立方结构的硬氮化物体系。从方法论的角度来看，准高通量评价薄膜的机械性能的技术将被开发和评估。

Despite a great industrial demand for superhard (hardness > 40 GPa) yet tough thin films with high thermal stability (T > 1000°C) such films can currently not be synthesized. On the one hand side thin films which are typically used for the protection of tools and components only partly fulfill these criteria. On the other hand the deformation and damage behavior determining the mechanical properties of these thin films is not fully understood yet. Therefore the aim of the project proposal is the synthesis of new superhard yet tough thin film systems on the basis of high entropy alloy nitrides, the exploration of their mechanical properties and the determination of the underlying deformation and damage mechanisms. By combining the utilization of HEA nitrides with the design concepts of nanostructured thin films it is assumed that for the first time the three before mentioned criteria can be simultaneously achieved.To establish fundamental principles for the synthesis of new superhard yet tough thin film systems based on HEA nitrides the intended project combines the comprehensive expertise on the development of complex thin films and their resulting mechanical properties (Leyens) with the characterization of the mechanical behavior and damage mechanisms as well as their interrelationships (Zimmermann). In the intended project a comprehensive understanding of the correlation between structure and mechanical properties of the newly developed thin film systems will be established. The obtained results will be generalized and transferred to classical hard nitride systems with fcc structure. From a methodological perspective, techniques for quasi high throughput evalution of the mechanical properties for thin films will be developed and evaluated.