Intergranular films at metal–ceramic interfacesPart I – interface structure and chemistry

Abstract In this work the structure and chemistry of intergranular films at metal–ceramic interfaces was investigated via detailed microstructural characterization of model metal–Al 2 O 3 nanocomposites. We report here experimental results indicating the formation and stability of equilibrium nanometer-thick films at metal–ceramic interfaces. Thin ∼1 nm interface films were observed for two different metal–alumina systems (Ni and Cu) doped with glass-forming additives. High spatial resolution energy dispersive spectroscopy showed a difference in the chemical composition of the films at Ni–alumina and Cu–alumina interfaces. These results may have immediate ramifications on structural and functional properties of metal–ceramic interfaces.