Thermal Instability Pathways of Aluminum‐Based Nanocomposites: The Role of Alloying‐Element‐Driven Precipitation and Amorphous Interlayers
7 affiliations
- 1Laboratory For Mechanics of Materials and Nanostructures Empa Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology Thun Switzerland
- 2École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) Lausanne Switzerland
- 3Materials Chemistry RWTH Aachen University Aachen Germany
- 4Department of Materials Science University of Leoben Leoben Austria
- 5Research Center for Structural Materials National Institute for Materials Science Tsukuba Japan
- 6Department of Materials Science Institute of Pure and Applied Sciences University of Tsukuba Tsukuba Ibaraki Japan
- 7Laboratory For High Performance Ceramics Empa Swiss Federal Laboratories for Material Science and Technology Dübendorf Switzerland
Abstract
Hybrid physical vapour deposition (PVD) combined with atomic layer deposition (ALD) enables the fabrication of metal/ceramic AlNi/AlO(H) nanolaminates with high room‐temperature strength, controlled architecture, and promising functional performance, yet their thermal stability remains unresolved. Here, we establish design principles for thermally robust Al‐based nanocomposites by systematically assessing their thermal instability through correlated synchrotron X‐ray diffraction, high‐resolution microscopy, atom probe tomography, and nanoindentation following vacuum annealing between 160°C and 600°C. Angle‐resolved X‐ray diffraction (XRD) reveals Al crystallite evolution while high‐resolution microscopy unravels further instability mechanisms: At homologous temperature Thom ≈ 0.52 (∼210°C), Ni segregation to Al grain boundaries competes with Al3Ni formation. Hydroxylated ALD‐AlO x H y interlayers become mobile, driving swelling and oxidation of adjacent Al. At Thom ≈ 0.77 (∼450°C), κ‐Al2O3 crystallises, followed by interlayer rupture, while at Thom ≈ 0.94 (∼600°C) the nanolaminate architecture collapses into a coarsened Al(Ni) matrix with dispersed Al2O3 inclusions. These coupled transformations progressively reduce hardness, transitioning from confined layer slip to matrix–inclusion‐dominated deformation. Beyond elucidating degradation mechanisms, this work shows how hydrogen‐mediated interface dynamics and the dual role of alloyed‐Ni limit the thermal and mechanical stability, precisely identifying the onset temperatures, and providing a pathway to robust Al‐based PVD/ALD nanocomposites.
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BibTeX
@article{jansen2026thermal,
title = {{Thermal Instability Pathways of Aluminum‐Based Nanocomposites: The Role of Alloying‐Element‐Driven Precipitation and Amorphous Interlayers}},
author = {Hendrik C. Jansen and Amit Sharma and Marcus Hans and Fedor F. Klimashin and Léo Lapeyre and Dominik Gutnik and Jochen M. Schneider and Thomas E.J. Edwards and Jakob Schwiedrzik and Barbara Putz and Johann Michler},
journal = {Small (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1002/smll.75393},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.75393},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Thermal Instability Pathways of Aluminum‐Based Nanocomposites: The Role of Alloying‐Element‐Driven Precipitation and Amorphous Interlayers
AU - Hendrik C. Jansen
AU - Amit Sharma
AU - Marcus Hans
AU - Fedor F. Klimashin
AU - Léo Lapeyre
AU - Dominik Gutnik
AU - Jochen M. Schneider
AU - Thomas E.J. Edwards
AU - Jakob Schwiedrzik
AU - Barbara Putz
AU - Johann Michler
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/22
JO - Small (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)
DO - 10.1002/smll.75393
UR - https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.75393
AB - Hybrid physical vapour deposition (PVD) combined with atomic layer deposition (ALD) enables the fabrication of metal/ceramic AlNi/AlO(H) nanolaminates with high room‐temperature strength, controlled architecture, and promising functional performance, yet their thermal stability remains unresolved. Here, we establish design principles for thermally robust Al‐based nanocomposites by systematically assessing their thermal instability through correlated synchrotron X‐ray diffraction, high‐resolution microscopy, atom probe tomography, and nanoindentation following vacuum annealing between 160°C and 600°C. Angle‐resolved X‐ray diffraction (XRD) reveals Al crystallite evolution while high‐resolution microscopy unravels further instability mechanisms: At homologous temperature Thom ≈ 0.52 (∼210°C), Ni segregation to Al grain boundaries competes with Al3Ni formation. Hydroxylated ALD‐AlO x H y interlayers become mobile, driving swelling and oxidation of adjacent Al. At Thom ≈ 0.77 (∼450°C), κ‐Al2O3 crystallises, followed by interlayer rupture, while at Thom ≈ 0.94 (∼600°C) the nanolaminate architecture collapses into a coarsened Al(Ni) matrix with dispersed Al2O3 inclusions. These coupled transformations progressively reduce hardness, transitioning from confined layer slip to matrix–inclusion‐dominated deformation. Beyond elucidating degradation mechanisms, this work shows how hydrogen‐mediated interface dynamics and the dual role of alloyed‐Ni limit the thermal and mechanical stability, precisely identifying the onset temperatures, and providing a pathway to robust Al‐based PVD/ALD nanocomposites.
SN - 1613-6810
SN - 1613-6829
ER -