Non-equilibrium intermixing and phase transformation in severely deformed Al/Ni multilayers

Al/Ni multilayers have been prepared by repeated folding and cold rolling (F&R) of elemental foils. The thickness of Al and Ni foils is reduced down to less than 50 nm after fifty F&R cycles. Three-dimensional atom probe analyses clearly reveal the presence of supersaturated solid solutions and give the evidence of deformation-induced intermixing. The formation of the solid solutions and their transformation into the Al3Ni phase upon annealing is discussed.