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Novel Tungsten Carbide Nanocrystalline Composites by Pulsed Laser Deposition

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2011

Ravi K. Venkatesan
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science & Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7916, USA
A. Kvit
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science & Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7916, USA
Q. Wei
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science & Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7916, USA
J. Narayan
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science & Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7916, USA
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Abstract

We have developed a novel processing technique to fabricate “artifact free” tungsten carbide (WC) nanocomposites. In this method, pulsed laser deposition of WC in conjunction with a few monolayers of nickel aluminide (NiAl) is used to control the grain size of nanocrystalline composites. The grain size of WC was controlled by the thickness of tungsten carbide and the substrate temperature. The role of NiAl is to ensure the nucleation of tungsten carbide islands, and it is also insoluble in WC. Using this approach, we have fabricated nanocomposites of grain sizes ranging from 6 nm to 35 nm. The hardness of the composite increases with the decrease in grain size, following approximately Hall-Petch relationship. The role of NiAl in grain boundary deformation is of particular interest in strengthening the nanocrystalline composites. The potential of this technique to go to even lower grain sizes is discussed.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2001

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References

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