Latest Research in Development, Characterization and Modelling of Shape Memory Alloys Applicable in "Smart" Micro-/Nanotechnology Devices

Dear Colleagues,

Shape memory alloys (SMAs) exhibit unique functional properties such as a shape memory effect and superelasticity. These properties are the result of a reversible diffusionless martensitic transformation driven by certain environmental conditions such as temperature, stress or magnetic field. The possibility of using SMAs in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) was introduced in 1990, and MEMS and composite structures utilizing unique properties of SMAs have been extensively studied, especially in the last 20 years. Significant progress has been achieved in design, modeling, manufacturing, and characterization of SMAs at the microscale, and there is a current trend in miniaturization of MEMS towards the nanoscale (i.e., nanoelectromechanical systems—NEMS). The modeling, preparation, and characterization of SMAs at nanoscale are particularly challenging. Moreover, properties of SMAs at nanoscale are not yet fully understood, and they are currently under extensive investigation. This Special Issue of Metals is focused on the latest developments in SMAs for application in smart MEMS/NEMS as well as in the design, preparation, and characterization of micro-/nanostructures with SMA elements or films. Topics include but are not limited to:

• Preparation and characterization of SMAs at the micro-/nanoscale;
• SMA thin films;
• SMAs for application in MEMS/NEMS;
• Simulations and modeling of SMAs at the micro-/nanoscale;
• Ab initio simulations of SMAs;
• Biomedical application of SMAs;
• Multilayered structures with SMA components.

Dr. Ivo Stachiv
Guest Editor

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