Generally, it is a challenge for superhard nitride films to possess strong enough fracture toughness. In the present study, a superhard nanocrystal- (nc-) Cr2N/amorphous- (a-) WC film was fabricated by arc ion plating and dc magnetron sputtering. The superlattice structure of nc-Cr2N with 9 nm thickness and a-WC with 3 nm thickness was alternately grown on amorphous Cr/WC buffer layer. Accordingly, the multilayers nc-Cr2N/a-WC nanocomposite showed a superhardness effect (similar to 40 GPa) which presents an anomalous enhancement of hardness and elastic modulus. The adhesion strength of nc-Cr2N/a-WC multilayers on the steel substrate exceeded 60 N. The tribological behavior of the nc-Cr2N/a-WC film was proven that the superlattice nc-Cr2N/a-WC nanocomposites have significant potential for high-speed dry machining and other wear-resistance precise parts. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.