Al2O3/Al hybrid nanolaminates with superior toughness, strength and ductility

Paul Baral, Sahar Jaddi, Hui Wang, Andrey Orekhov, Nicolas Gauquelin, Alireza Bagherpour, Frederik Loock, Michaël Coulombier, Audrey Favache, Morgan Rusinowicz, Johan Verbeeck, Stéphane Lucas, Jean-Pierre Raskin, Hosni Idrissi and Thomas Pardoen ()
Additional contact information
Paul Baral: Centre SMS
Sahar Jaddi: UCLouvain
Hui Wang: UCLouvain
Andrey Orekhov: University of Antwerp
Nicolas Gauquelin: University of Antwerp
Alireza Bagherpour: University of Namur
Frederik Loock: Groene Loper
Michaël Coulombier: UCLouvain
Audrey Favache: UCLouvain
Morgan Rusinowicz: Centre SMS
Johan Verbeeck: University of Antwerp
Stéphane Lucas: University of Namur
Jean-Pierre Raskin: UCLouvain
Hosni Idrissi: UCLouvain
Thomas Pardoen: UCLouvain

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Amorphous alumina is hard but brittle like all ceramic type materials which affects durability under impact or scratch. Here we show that alumina layers below 100 nm thickness when stacked with aluminum interlayers exhibit exceptional performances including toughness equal to 300 J.m−2 determined by on chip nanomechanics. This is almost two orders of magnitude higher than bulk alumina and higher than any other thin hard coatings. In addition, a hardness above 8 GPa combines with a fracture strain above 5%. The origin of this superior set of properties is unravelled via in-situ TEM and mechanical models. The combination of constrained alumina layers with ductile behavior, strong “accommodating” interfaces, giant shear deformability of Al layers, and plasticity-controlled crack shielding cooperate to stabilize deformation, dissipate energy and arrest cracks. These performances unlock several options of applications of Al2O3 in which brittleness under contacts prevents benefiting from remarkable functional properties and chemical stability.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-56512-7

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