Structural and mechanical behavior of Zr-W-Ti thin film metallic glasses prepared by multitarget co-magnetron sputtering

Zr-W-Ti thin films were deposited by magnetron co-sputtering technique with varied Ti-sputtering power between 25 and 150 W. The effect of Ti-sputtering power on their physical and mechanical properties was investigated. As a results of FE-SEM, XPS, AFM, XRD, and HR-TEM investigations, the Ti-sputtering power affected the Ti-containing structure of ZrW-based films, which exhibited an amorphous phase with a very low surface roughness layer. The mechanical properties, tested by nano-indentation, revealed the films strongest hardness and elastic modulus of 8.6 GPa and 121.3 GPa, respectively. In addition, the plastic responded, especially the serrated flow and shear banding showed that the prepared Zr-W-Ti thin films were excellent candidates for surface coating as the thin film metallic glasses (TFMGs).