The data of hardness, Young's modulus, and electrical resistivity of T
iN, TiN\TiB2, and TiB2 both for conventional and nanocrystalline mater
ials in bulk and film forms are generalized. The hardness of TiN nanoc
rystalline bulk is 1.5 times higher than that of conventional material
s. For monolayer and multilayer TIN films this value is about 2-2.5 an
d 3-3.5 higher than that for bulk TiN. The situation is similar for mo
nolayer TiB2 and TiB2/TiN films. Their structure and properties are di
scussed in detail. (C) 1997 Academic Press.