Effect of nanophase concentration on the properties of metal-containing silicon–carbon nanocomposites

Abstract

We have studied the effect of tungsten, molybdenum, and hafnium concentrations on the electrical conductivity, nanohardness, and elastic modulus of metal-containing silicon–carbon nanocomposite films. The results demonstrate that the addition of these metals to the films leads to the formation of metal carbide particles a few nanometers in size. At metal contents from 5 to 35 at %, the conductivity of the films varies over four orders of magnitude (from 10^–1 to 10³ S/cm). The composition dependences of the mechanical properties of the nanocomposites depend on the nature of the metal. We have analyzed the mechanisms underlying the effect of the metals on these properties.