Solid state amorphization in cold drawn Cu/Nb wires

The microstructure of cold drawn Cu/Nb nanocomposite wires was investigated using a three dimensional atom probe (3D-AP) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Although there is no solubility between Nb and Cu in the equilibrium state, atom probe analysis results revealed that intermixing occurs between Nb and Cu filaments as a result of cold drawing with a large strain. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) results revealed that an amorphous layer is formed along some Cu/Nb interfaces. This solid state amorphization is compared with similar reactions observed in Cu-Nb multilayers.