Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 February 2011
Nanostructured bulks and films of TiB2, TiN, AIN, Ti(B,N), and (Ti,Al)N prepared by high pressure sintering and nonreactive magnetron sputtering accordingly. Fracture surfaces and structure of grain boundaries have been investigated by high-resolution scanning and transmission electron microscopy as well as by atomic force microscopy. The revealing of transgranular fracture, homogeneous and inhomogeneous deformation, and the availability of dislocations and amorphous phases in structure are discussed.