Novel Eu2O3-doped TiVZrNb multi-component alloy film: structure, mechanical and luminescent properties

• A novel Eu 2 O 3 -doped TiVZrNb multi-component alloy film was successfully designed and fabricated using pulsed laser deposition. • This film features a dual-phase structure, comprising an amorphous matrix interspersed with nanocrystalline domains ranging from 10 to 20 nm in grain size. • This film exhibits an ultra-high hardness of up to 14.2 GPa, representing a considerable improvement over related films. • This film exhibits distinct light emission bands at wavelengths of 516 nm, 551 nm, as well as 573 nm, 581 nm, 625 nm which originates from Eu 2+ and Eu 3+ ions, respectively. In this work, a novel Eu 2 O 3 -doped TiVZrNb multi-component alloy film (MCAF) with exceptional mechanical and luminescent properties was designed and fabricated using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technology. The deposited film features a dual-phase structure, comprising an amorphous matrix interspersed with nanocrystalline domains ranging from 10 to 20 nm in grain size. The film displays exceptional microstructural homogeneity, and uniform elemental distribution without detectable Eu 2 O 3 segregation. Nanoindentation test revealed that the film possesses an ultra-high hardness of up to 14.2 GPa, representing a considerable improvement over related films. Additionally, the film displays distinct light emission bands at wavelengths of 516 nm and 551 nm, as well as 573 nm, 581 nm, and 645 nm when excited by a 372 nm Xe light source and a 532 nm laser source, corresponding to Eu 2+ and Eu 3+ , respectively. These findings provided a new strategy for designing advanced metal-based luminescent materials with integrated optomechanical functionality, paving the way for next-generation photonic devices.