Microcompression testing is used to probe the uniaxial stress–strain response of a nanocrystalline alloy, with an emphasis on exploring how grain size and grain boundary relaxation state impact the complete flow curve and failure behavior. The yield strength, strain hardening, strain-to-failure and failure mode of nanocrystalline Ni–W films with mean grain sizes of 5, 15 and 90 nm are studied u...