Surface morphology and mechanical properties changes induced in Ti3InC2 (M3AX2) thin nanocrystalline films by irradiation of 100 keV Ne+ ions

We report on the structure of the Ti3InC2 (M(3)AX(2)) thin nanocrystalline films (TNCFs) produced by ion beam sputtering of the Ti, In, and C targets with subsequent thermal annealing, and irradiation by 100 keV Ne+ ions with two different fluences of 1 . 10(14) cm(-2) and 1 . 10(16) cm(-2). The Ti3InC2 TNCFs were characterized by a set of microscopic techniques (AFM, STEM/EDS, and HRTEM) as well ion beam analytical methods RBS and NRA. The STEM/EDS analysis revealed that the structure and chemical composition of the Ti3InC2 TNCF remained intact after irradiation with the lower fluence of 1 . 10(14) cm(-2) Ne+. However, a significant morphological instability was observed after irradiation with the higher fluence of 1 . 10(16) cm(-2) Ne+. The simulation of the nanobeam electron diffraction (NBED) patterns by using CrystalMaker code has pointed at the existence of new epsilon-Ti2C0.06 (MXene) structures and separation of Indium (In) from the Ti3InC2 matrix. The analysis by nanoindentation showed that the irradiated Ti3InC2 TNCFs exhibited promising mechanical properties considering Young's modulus and hardness even for the locally disordered structure. M(3)AX(2) TNCFs are a new type of 2D materials designed for applications in extreme environments, such as nuclear facilities with intensive radiation fields. However, the research is still in its infancy and requires further study on the synthesis of high-quality, dense, and homogeneous M(3)AX(2) TNCFs. This work is an initial study related to the radiation resistance of Ti3InC2 TNCFs.