A series of VC/SiC nanomultilayers were synthesized by magnetron sputtering techniques at a substrate temperature of 450 degrees C. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the multilayers were studied by X-ray diffractometer, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and nanoindentation device. The results showed that when the SiC layer thickness was below 0.7 nm, the as-deposited amorphous SiC layers were crystallized and grew coherently with VC layers under the template effect of VC layers, accompanied by a remarkable increase in hardness. Further increasing SiC layer thickness, however, the epitaxial growth structure of the multilayers has been disrupted leading to the decrease of hardness. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.