Stiffness and ductility can be achieved by reducing the grain size of ceramics to the nanometer scale. However, the deformation mechanism of nanoceramics is still controversial due to technical limitations. In this paper, via synchrotron radial x-ray diffraction technology combined with a diamond anvil cell, the deformation behavior of nanosized titanium nitride (TiN) has been studied in situ under high-pressure conditions up to 41.3 GPa. Results show that the nano-TiN exhibits a much higher bulk modulus and yield strength than its bulk counterpart. Nano-TiN starts to yield at around 17.3 GPa and the maximum yield strength is approximately 8.7 GPa at 41.3 GPa. The presence of 110 and 001 texture in nanosized TiN was confirmed under pressure, indicating a strong activity of dislocation. This paper suggests that the reduction in grain size to the nanoscale improves both the stiffness and ductility of TiN via a dislocation-mediated mechanism.

中文翻译：

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位错介导的纳米 TiN 超高机械性能

通过将陶瓷晶粒尺寸减小到纳米级可以实现刚度和延展性。然而，由于技术限制，纳米陶瓷的变形机制仍存在争议。本文通过同步辐射X射线衍射技术结合金刚石砧座，原位研究了纳米氮化钛（TiN）在高达41.3 GPa的高压条件下的变形行为。结果表明，纳米 TiN 表现出比块状 TiN 高得多的体积模量和屈服强度。纳米 TiN 在 17.3 GPa 左右开始屈服，最大屈服强度在 41.3 GPa 时约为 8.7 GPa。在压力下证实纳米TiN中存在110和001织构，表明位错活性很强。本文提出，通过位错介导机制将晶粒尺寸减小到纳米级可以提高 TiN 的刚度和延展性。