Simulation of nacre with TiC/Teflon multilayers and a study of their properties

Ion beam sputter deposition was employed to prepare nanoscale multilayers of TIC and a polymeric material, Teflon. The multilayers were synthesized to simulate nacre not only on laminated structures but also on individual layer thicknesses. The laminated architecture was studied as well as the structures of individual layers. Multilayer toughness and hardness were systematically investigated. It was found that the toughness of TiC/Teflon multilayers was significantly improved in comparison with monolithic TiC. But the multilayer hardness experienced a serious decrease. The individual layer thickness arrangement had an influence on both the multilayer hardness and the toughness. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A.