Published online by Cambridge University Press: 16 February 2011
Polycrystalline niobium specimens were implanted with either 200 keV carbon ions or a combination of 50, 100, and 200 keV carbon ions to peak concentrations of 0.6 to 50 at. %. Microindentation techniques were used to measure the hardness and elastic modulus of the implanted layer. Both the hardness (H) and modulus (E) showed dramatic increases due to the carbon implantation. The measured peak hardness and modulus following uniform implantation with 16 at. % C were 15× and 3× that of niobium, respectively, which is comparable to the literature values for NbC. The peak hardness and modulus for the implanted specimens were observed at an indent depth of ˜40 nm, which is about one-eighth of the depth of the implanted carbon layer. The decrease in the indentation mechanical properties at deeper indent depths is due to the interaction of long-ranging strain fields underneath the indenter with the niobium substrate.