Structure and mechanical properties of foils made of nanocrystalline beryllium

Abstract

The phase composition and structural features of (45–90)-μm-thick foils obtained from nanocrystalline beryllium during multistep thermomechanical treatment have been established using electron microscopy, electron diffraction, electron backscattering diffraction, and energy-dispersive analysis. This treatment is shown to lead to the formation of a structure with micrometer- and submicrometer-sized grains. The minimum average size of beryllium grains is 352 nm. The inclusions of beryllium oxide (ВеО) of different modifications with tetragonal (sp. gr. P4₂/mnm) and hexagonal (sp. gr. P6₃/mmc) lattices are partly ground during deformation to a size smaller than 100 nm and are located along beryllium grain boundaries in their volume, significantly hindering migration during treatment. The revealed structural features of foils with submicrometer-sized crystallites provide the thermal stability of their structural state. Beryllium with this structure is a promising material for X-ray instrument engineering and for the production of ultrathin (less than 10 μm) vacuum-dense foils with very high physicomechanical characteristics.