Nanocrystalline Cu-Ta alloy films were deposited on glass slides by
magnetron sputtering. Microstructure characterization proved that most of the tantalum
atoms are segregated in the grain boundaries. Nanoindentation creep
measurements were performed on it to uncover the stability mechanism of grain
boundary segregation on nanocrystalline materials. It is found that segregation
can effectively slow down the creep strain rate and the grain boundary
activities. The suppressed grain boundary activities endow the alloy with a
stable microstructure during plastic deformation and annealing.
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