Conditions of nanocomposite structure formation from the vapour phase in Ti–Y system

In this study the method of electron beam deposition of a mixture of titanium and yttrium vapours was used to produce condensates at different ratios of elements in the substrate temperature range from 200 to 800°C. Condensates consist of grains of yttrium and titanium, the dimensions of which are reduced from the submicron to nanosize scale at lowering of substrate temperature. The temperature of composite transition into the nanosized state depends on yttrium content and can be 200–300°C higher than in the case of pure titanium. Such structural changes are accompanied by an abrupt increase of microhardness. At the change of yttrium content the microhardness of condensates deposited at the same temperature changes non-monotonically. Possible causes of non-monotonic variation of concentration dependencies in Ti–Y condensate microhardness are discussed.