Structure and dynamics of shear bands in amorphous-crystalline nanolaminates

The velocities of shear bands in amorphous CuZr/crystalline Cu nanolaminates were quantified as a function of strain rate and crystalline volume fraction. A rate-dependent transition in flow response was found in a 100 nm CuZr/10 nm Cu nanolaminates. When increasing the Cu layer thickness from 10 nm to 100 nm, the instantaneous velocity of the shear band in these nanolaminates decreases from 11.2 μm/s to <∼500 nm/s. Atom probe tomography and transmission election microcopy observation revealed that in post-deformed pillars both grain rotation in the crystalline portion and non-diffusive crystallization in the amorphous layer affect the viscosity of shear bands.