Effects of helium implantation on mechanical properties of (Al_0.31Cr_0.20Fe_0.14Ni_0.35)O high entropy oxide films

It is widely accepted that helium (He) bubbles can prevent dislocations from moving and causing hardening and embrittlement of the material. However, He can affect the mechanical properties of materials in various ways. In this work, ultrafine nanocrystal high entropy oxide (HEO) films with He implantation are prepared by using a radio frequency (RF) reactive magnetron sputtering system to investigate the effects of He bubbles located at grain boundary on the mechanical properties of the films. The mechanical properties of the HEO films are investigated systematically via nanoindentation measurements. The results indicate that the grain boundary cavities induced by He implantation can degrade the hardness, the elastic modulus, and the creep resistance of the HEO films. The mechanical properties of the HEO films are sensitive to the interaction between the He bubbles and the dominating defects.