Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Nanostructured Co-Cu Alloy Films Processed by Electrodeposition

Two kinds of nanostructured Co-Cu alloy films: a nanolamellar Co-Cu alloy film and an ultrafine-grained two-phase Co-Cu alloy film were processed by electrodeposition, and their microstructures and mechanical properties were investigated. These nanostructured Co-Cu alloy films showed the high hardness and the low activation volume. The mechanical properties of the nanostructured Co-Cu alloy films strongly depended on the grain boundary characteristics. Molecular dynamics simulations were performed in the two-phase Co-Cu alloy film to investigate the dislocation emission at the Co/Cu interface. The molecular dynamics simulations showed that the stacking faults, which are generated by the intense geometrical strain at the Co/Cu interface, play an important role in the dislocation emission.