Ceramic transition metal diboride superlattices with improved ductility and fracture toughness screened by ab initio calculations.

Inherent brittleness, which easily leads to crack formation and propagation during use, is a serious problem for protective ceramic thin-film applications. Superlattice architectures, with alternating nm-thick layers of typically softer/stiffer materials, have been proven powerful method to improve the mechanical performance of, e.g.