The effects of substitution of Cr for Mo on the mechanical properties of nanocrystalline Mo5Si3 films.

A series of nanocrystalline (Mo(x)Cr(1-x))(5)Si(3) films with an average grain size of 8 nm has been prepared on Ti-6A1-4V alloy substrates by glow discharge. The effect of substitution of Cr for Mo on the hardness, elastic modulus and plastic deformability of the nanocrystalline (Mo(x)Cr(1-x))(5)Si(3) film was investigated using the nanoindentation method. The results reveal that the hardness of nanocrystalline (Mo(x)Cr(1-x))(5)Si(3) films slightly decreases with increasing Cr content. In contrast, the plastic deformability significantly increases with increasing Cr content.