Abstract Scope |
Materials containing nanoscale twin boundaries (nanotwins) have demonstrated enhanced properties including increased strength, ductility, and thermal stability. However, the current nanotwin compositional synthesis space is limited by the prohibitively large task of determining a material’s stacking fault energy (SFE). This work seeks to circumvent SFE limitations and expedite discovery of nanotwinned alloys by developing a high-throughput methodology that can screen large composition spaces for nanotwin formation. Cu based alloy systems were investigated by co-sputtering films with compositional gradients, yielding 169 unique samples per experiment. Material libraries were generated using high-throughput EDX, SEM, XRD, four-point probe, and nanoindentation to analyze each sample’s composition, morphology, texturing, resistivity, and mechanical properties. To elucidate interconnected relationships between nanotwinning, composition, and the other material properties, specific compositions were further analyzed with TEM. Overall, the results of this study highlight that a high-throughput methodology can be utilized to further explore and expand nanotwin synthesis domains. |