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Epitaxial rhombohedral boron nitride (r-BN) films were deposited on ZrB2(0001)/4H-SiC(0001) by chemical vapor deposition at 1485 degrees C from the reaction of triethylboron and ammonia and with a minute amount of silane (SiH4). X-ray diffraction (XRD) w-scans yield the epitaxial relationships of r-BN(0001) k ZrB2(0001) out-of-plane and r-BN[11-20] k ZrB2[11-20] in-plane. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) micrographs showed that epitaxial growth of r-BN films prevails to similar to 10 nm. Both XRD and TEM demonstrate the formation of carbon- and nitrogen-containing cubic inclusions at the ZrB2 surface. Quantitative analysis from x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of the r-BN films shows B/N ratios between 1.30 and 1.20 and an O content of 3-4 at. %. Plan-view scanning electron microscopy images reveal a surface morphology where an amorphous material comprising B, C, and N is surrounding the epitaxial twinned r-BN crystals. ; Funding Agencies|Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF)Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research [IS14-0027]; Carl Tryggers Foundation for Scientific Research [CTS 14:189]; Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Functional Materials at Linkoping University (Faculty Grant SFO-Mat-LiU) [2009-00971]

The electronic structure, chemical bonding, and interface component in ZrN-AlN nanocomposites formed byphase separation during thin film deposition of metastable Zr1−xAlxN (x = 0.0, 0.12, 0.26, 0.40) are investigatedby resonant inelastic x-ray scattering, x-ray emission, and x-ray absorption spectroscopy and compared to firstprinciples calculations including transitions between orbital angular momentum final states. The experimentalspectra are compared with different interface-slab model systems using first principles all-electron full-potentialcalculations where the core states are treated fully relativistically. As shown in this work, the bulk sensitivity andelement selectivity of x-ray spectroscopy enables one to probe the symmetry and orbital directions at interfacesbetween cubic and hexagonal crystals. We show how the electronic structure develops from local octahedralbond symmetry of cubic ZrN that distorts for increasing Al content into more complex bonding. This results inthree different kinds of bonding originating from semicoherent interfaces with segregated ZrN and lamellar AlNnanocrystalline precipitates. An increasing chemical shift and charge transfer between the elements takes placewith increasing Al content and affects the bond strength and increases resistivity. ; Fulltext published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ No changes have been made to the fulltext. Funded by Bibsam. Funding agencies: Swedish Research Council (VR) LiLi-NFM Linnaeus EnvironmentSwedish Research Council [621-2009-5258]; Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Functional Materials at Linkoping University (Faculty Grant SFO-Mat-LiU) [2009 00971, 2

The influence of B4C incorporation during magnetron sputter deposition of Cr/Sc multilayers intended for soft X-ray reflective optics is investigated. Chemical analysis suggests formation of metal: boride and carbide bonds which stabilize an amorphous layer structure, resulting in smoother interfaces and an increased reflectivity. A near-normal incidence reflectivity of 11.7%, corresponding to a 67% increase, is achieved at λ = 3.11 nm upon adding 23 at.% (B + C). The advantage is significant for the multilayer periods larger than 1.8 nm, where amorphization results in smaller interface widths, for example, giving 36% reflectance and 99.89% degree of polarization near Brewster angle for a multilayer polarizer. The modulated ion-energy-assistance during the growth is considered vital to avoid intermixing during the interface formation even when B + C are added. ; Funding agencies: Swedish Science Council; Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Functional Materials at Linkoping University (Faculty Grant SFO-Mat-LiU) [2009 00971]

Atom probe tomography was used to compare Na and Sr modified Al-Si hypoeutectic alloys. Both Na and Sr promote the formation of nanometre-sized clusters in the Si eutectic phase. Compositional analyses of the clusters show an Al:Sr ratio of 2.92 +/- 0.46 and an Al:Na ratio of 1.07 +/- 0.23. It is proposed that SrAl2Si2 and NaAlSi clusters are formed at the Si/liquid interface and take part in the modification process by altering the eutectic Si growth. ; Funding Agencies|German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology [AiF 17204 N]; European Regional Development Fund (AME-Lab) [C/4-EFRE-13/2009/Br]; German Research Foundation (DFG); Federal State Government of Saarland [INST 256/298-1 FUGG]; Erasmus Mundus Doctoral Programme DocMASE of the European Commission [FPA 2011-0020]; VINNOVA Strategic Faculty Grant VINNMER Marie Curie Chair [2011-03464]; Major International (Regional) Joint Research Project from China [51420105005]

Nanostructure formation via surface-diffusion-mediated segregation of ZrN and AIN in Zr1-xAlxN films during high mobility growth conditions is investigated for 0 amp;lt;= x amp;lt;= 1. The large immiscibility combined with interfacial surface and strain energy balance resulted in a hard nanolabyrinthine lamellar structure with well-defined (semi) coherent c-ZrN and w-AlN domains of sub-nm to similar to 4 nm in 0.2 amp;lt;= x amp;lt;= 0.4 films, as controlled by atom mobility. For high AlN contents (x amp;gt; 0.49) Al-rich ZrN domains attain wurtzite structure within fine equiaxed nanocomposite wurtzite lattice. Slow diffusion in wurtzite films points towards crystal structure dependent driving force for decomposition. The findings of unlikelihood of isostructural decomposition in c-Zr1-xAlxN, and stability of w-Zr1-xAlxN (in large x films) is complemented with first principles calculations. ; Funding Agencies|Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems (Vinnova) through the VINNMER Grant [2011-03464]; Knut and Wallenberg Foundation

Al-alloys with Si as the main alloying element constitute the vast majority of Al castings used commercially today. The eutectic Si microstructure in these alloys can be modified from plate-like to coral-like by the addition of a small amount of a third element to improve ductility and toughness. In this investigation the effects of Eu and Yb are studied and their influence on the microstructure is compared to further understand this modification. The two elements impact the alloy differently, where Eu modifies Si into a coral-like structure while Yb does not. Atom probe tomography shows that Eu is present within the Si phase in the form of ternary compound Al2Si2Eu clusters, while Yb is absent in the Si phase. This indicates that the presence of ternary compound clusters within Si is a necessary condition for the formation of a coral-like structure. A crystallographic orientation relationship between Si and the Al2Si2Eu phase was found, where the following plane normals are parallel: 011(Si) //0001(Al2Si2Eu), 111(Si)//6 (7) over bar 10(Al2Si2Eu) and 011(Si)//6 (7) over bar 10(Al2Si2Eu). No crystallographic relationship was found between Si and Al2Si2Yb. The heterogeneous formation of coherent Al2Si2Eu clusters inside the Si-phase is suggested to trigger the modification of the microstructure. ; Funding Agencies|European Regional Development Fund (ERDF); DFG; Federal State Government of Saarland [INST 256/298-1 FUGG]; Erasmus Mundus Programme of the European Commission within the Doctoral Programme DocMASE; Major International (Regional) Joint Research Project from China [51420105005]; Overseas, Hong Kong, Macao Scholars Cooperative Research Fund from China [51728101]

The phase evolution of cubic (c), solid solution TixCr-0.37Al1-0.37-x N alloys with x = 0.03 and 0.16, and the kinetics of the hexagonal (h)-AlN formation are studied via in situ wide angle x-ray scattering experiments during high temperature (1000-1150 degrees C) annealing. Spinodal decomposition was observed in Ti0.16Cr0.36Al0.48N while Ti0.03Cr0.38Al0.59N decomposes through nucleation and growth of h-AlN, c-TiN and c-CrAlN. h-AlN is formed from c-CrAlN domains in both cases and the formation rate of h-AlN depends on the stability of the c-CrAlN domains. In Ti0.16Cr0.36Al0.48N, the c-CrAlN domains are stabilized by crystallographic coherency with the surrounding c-TiCrN in a microstructure originating from spinodal decomposition. This results in lower formation rates of h-AlN for this composition. These differences are reflected in higher activation energy for h-AlN formation in Ti0.16Cr0.36Al0.48N compared to Ti0.03Cr0.38Al0.59N. It also points out different stabilities of the intermediate phase c-CrAlN during phase decomposition of TiCrAlN alloys. Additional contributions to the low activation energy for formation of h-AlN in Ti0.03Cr0.38Al0.59N stems from precipitation at grain boundaries. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. ; Funding Agencies|EUs Erasmus-Mundus graduate school in Material Science and Engineering (DocMASE); Swedish Research Council VR [621- 2012-4401]; Rontgen-Angstrom Cluster grant [VR 2011-6505]; Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research, SSF [RMA08-0069]; Swedish government strategic research area grant AFM - SFO MatLiU [2009-00971]; VINNOVA (M - Era.net project) [2013-02355]

TiBx thin films with a B content of 1.43 ≤ x ≤ 2.70 were synthesized using high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) and direct-current magnetron sputtering (DCMS). HiPIMS allows compositions ranging from understoichiometric to overstoichiometric dense TiBx thin films with a B/Ti ratio between 1.43 and 2.06, while DCMS yields overstoichiometric TiBx films with a B/Ti ratio ranging from 2.20 to 2.70. Excess B in overstoichiometric TiBx thin films from DCMS results in a hardness up to 37.7 ± 0.8 GPa, attributed to the formation of an amorphous B-rich tissue phase interlacing stoichiometric TiB2 columnar structures. We furthermore show that understoichiometric TiB1.43 thin films synthesized by HiPIMS, where the deficiency of B is found to be accommodated by Ti-rich planar defects, exhibit a superior hardness of 43.9 ± 0.9 GPa. The apparent fracture toughness and thermal conductivity of understoichiometric TiB1.43 HiPIMS films are 4.2 ± 0.1 MPa√m and 2.46 ± 0.22 W/(m·K), respectively, as compared to corresponding values for overstoichiometric TiB2.70 DCMS film samples of 3.1 ± 0.1 MPa√m and 4.52 ± 0.45 W/(m·K). This work increases the fundamental understanding of understoichiometric TiBx thin films and their materials properties, and shows that understoichiometric films have properties matching or going beyond those with excess B. ; Fulltext published under Creative Commons license CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Funding agencies: Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF)Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research [EM16-0004]; Research Infrastructure Fellow program from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg (KAW) Foundation [RIF 14-0074]; KAW; Swedish Government Strategic Research Area

The phase evolution of reactive radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtered Cr0.28Zr0.10O0.61 coatings has been studied by in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction during annealing under air atmosphere and vacuum. The annealing in vacuum shows t-ZrO2 formation starting at similar to 750-800 degrees C, followed by decomposition of the alpha-Cr2O3 structure in conjunction with bcc-Cr formation, starting at similar to 950 degrees C. The resulting coating after annealing to 1140 degrees C is a mixture of t-ZrO2, m-ZrO2, and bcc-Cr. The air-annealed sample shows t-ZrO2 formation starting at similar to 750 degrees C. The resulting coating after annealing to 975 degrees C is a mixture of t-ZrO2 and alpha-Cr2O3 (with dissolved Zr). The microstructure coarsened slightly during annealing, but the mechanical properties are maintained, with no detectable bcc-Cr formation. A larger t-ZrO2 fraction compared with alpha-Cr2O3 is observed in the vacuum-annealed coating compared with the air-annealed coating at 975 degrees C. The results indicate that the studied pseudo-binary oxide is more stable in air atmosphere than in vacuum. ; Funding Agencies|Swedish Research Council (VR)Swedish Research Council [621-20124368, 330-2014-6336]; Knut and Alice Wallenberg FoundationKnut & Alice Wallenberg Foundation; Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Functional Materials at Linkoping University (Faculty Grant SFO-Mat-LiU) [2009 00971]; Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions, Cofund, Project INCA [600398]; Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF) through the Future Research Leaders 6 program; Swedish Research Council via the Rontgen Angstrom Cluster (RAC) Frame Program [2011-6505]; German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)Federal Ministry of Education & Research (BMBF) [05K12CG1]