Search Results (7)

Direct measurements of the magnetocaloric effect were performed in a Heusler Ni_44.4Mn_36.2Sn_14.9Cu_4.5 alloy at cryogenic temperatures in magnetic fields up to 10 T. The maximum value of the inverse magnetocaloric effect in a 10 T field was ∆T_ad = –2.7 K in the vicinity of the first-order magnetostructural phase transition at T₀ = 117 K. Ab initio and Monte Carlo calculations were performed to discuss the effect of Cu doping into a Ni-Mn-Sn compound on the ground-state structural and magnetic properties. It is shown that with increasing Cu content the martensitic transition temperature decreases and the Curie temperature of austenite slightly increases. In general, the calculated transition temperatures and magnetization values correlated well with the experimental ones. Full article

In this study, magnetostriction measurements were performed on the ferromagnetic Heusler alloy, Ni₂MnGa_0.88Cu_0.12, which is characterized by the occurrence of the martensitic phase and ferromagnetic transitions at the same temperature. In the austenite and martensite phases, the alloy crystallizes in the L2₁ and D0₂₂-like crystal structure, respectively. As the crystal structure changes at the martensitic transition temperature (T_M), a large magnetostriction due to the martensitic and ferromagnetic transitions induced by magnetic fields is expected to occur. First, magnetization (M-H) measurements are performed, and metamagnetic transitions are observed in the magnetic field of μ₀H = 4 T at 344 K. This result shows that the phase transition was induced by the magnetic field under a constant temperature. Forced magnetostriction measurements (ΔL/L) are then performed under a constant temperature and atmospheric pressure (P = 0.1 MPa). Magnetostriction up to 1300 ppm is observed around T_M. The magnetization results and magnetostriction measurements showed the occurrence of the magnetic-field-induced strain from the paramagnetic austenite phase to the ferromagnetic martensite phase. As a reference sample, we measure the magnetostriction of the Ni₂MnGa-type (Ni₅₀Mn₃₀Ga₂₀) alloy, which causes the martensite phase transition at T_M = 315 K. The measurement of magnetostriction at room temperature (298 K) showed a magnetostriction of 3300 ppm. The magnetostriction of Ni₂MnGa_0.88Cu_0.12 is observed to be one-third that of Ni₅₀Mn₃₀Ga₂₀ but larger than that of Terfenol-D (800 ppm), which is renowned as the giant magnetostriction alloy. Full article

Metamagnetic off-stoichiometric Heusler alloys are actively being investigated because of their great potential as magnetocaloric materials. These properties are intimately related to the nanoscale homogeneity of their magnetic properties, mainly due to a strong influence of the nature of the exchange interactions between Mn atoms on the magnetism of the alloys. In this work, a spontaneous exchange bias phenomenon on a Ni–Co–Mn–Sn metamagnetic Heusler sputtered film is presented and studied in detail. More particularly, a series of DC magnetization curves measured as a function of the temperature demonstrates that the system exhibits canonical spin glass-like features. After a careful study of the field-cooling and zero-field-cooling curves measured on this system, the existence of magnetic inhomogeneities is inferred, as a consequence of the competition between ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic exchange interactions between Mn atoms. Further AC susceptibility measurements on this system demonstrate that the underlying exchange bias phenomenon can be attributed to a magnetic clusters model based on superferromagnetic-like interactions present in the film. These findings suggest that the spontaneous exchange bias exhibited by the studied system is a consequence of the formation of this superferromagnetic-like state. Full article

This study investigates the crystal structure, martensitic transformation behavior, magnetic properties, and magnetic-field-induced reverse martensitic transformation of Co₆₄V₁₅(Si_21–xAl_x) alloys. It was found that by increasing the Al composition, the microstructure changes from the martensite phase to the parent phase. The crystal structures of the martensite and parent phases were determined as D0₂₂ and L2₁, respectively. Thermoanalysis and thermomagnetization measurements were used to determine the martensitic transformation and Curie temperatures. Both the ferromagnetic state of the parent phase and that of the martensite phase were observed. With the increasing Al contents, the martensitic transformation temperatures decrease, whereas the Curie temperatures of both the martensite and parent phases increase. The spontaneous magnetization and its composition dependence were also determined. The magnetic-field-induced reverse martensitic transformation of a Co₆₄V₁₅Si₇Al₁₄ alloy under pulsed high magnetic fields was observed. Moreover, using the results of the DSC measurements and the pulsed high magnetization measurements, the temperature dependence of the transformation entropy change of the Co-V-Si-Al alloys was estimated. Full article

An overview of the processing, characterization and magnetostructural properties of ferromagnetic NiMnX (X = group IIIA–VA elements) Heusler alloys is presented. This type of alloy is multiferroic—exhibits more than one ferroic property—and is hence multifunctional. Examples of how different synthesis procedures influence the magnetostructural characteristics of these alloys are shown. Significant microstructural factors, such as the crystal structure, atomic ordering, volume of unit cell, grain size and others, which have a bearing on the properties, have been reviewed. An overriding factor is the composition which, through its tuning, affects the martensitic and magnetic transitions, the transformation temperatures, microstructures and, consequently, the magnetostructural effects. Full article

Two Ni–Mn–Sn alloys substituted with 0.5 and 1 at.% Cr have been studied. The first alloy shows an average composition of Ni_49.6Mn_37.3Cr_0.7Sn_12.4 (e/a = 8.107), whereas the second has a multiphase microstructure with the matrix phase of an average Ni_52.4Mn_32.7Cr₁Sn₁₄ composition (e/a = 8.146). Both alloys undergo a reversible martensitic phase transformation. The Ni_49.6Mn_37.3Cr_0.7Sn_12.4 alloy transforms to the martensite phase at 239 K and, under the magnetic field change of μ₀·ΔH = 1.5 T, gives the magnetic entropy change equal to 7.6 J/kg·K. This amounts to a refrigerant capacity in the order of 48.6 J/kg, reducible by 29.8% due to hysteresis loss. On the other hand, the alloy with a multiphase microstructure undergoes the martensitic phase transformation at 223 K with the magnetic entropy change of 1.7 J/kg·K (1 T). Although the latter spreads over a broader temperature window in the multiphase alloy, it gives much smaller refrigerant capacity of 16.2 J/kg when compared to Ni_49.6Mn_37.3Cr_0.7Sn_12.4. The average hysteresis loss for a field change of 1.5 T in the multiphase alloy is 2.7 J/kg, reducing the effective refrigerant capacity by 16.7%. These results illustrate that the key to gaining a large effective refrigerant capacity is the synergy between the magnitude of the magnetic entropy change and its broad temperature dependence. Full article

In order to investigate the Fe substituted effects on the magnetic properties of the Ni-Mn-Sn metamagnetic shape memory alloys, magnetization and the Mössbauer spectroscopy measurements were carried out with using ⁵⁷Fe-doped specimens of Ni₂Mn_1.48−x⁵⁷Fe_xSn_0.52 (x = 0.02, 0.04 and 0.08). Singlet-type Mössbauer spectra were clearly observed for x = 0.02 and 0.04 just below the martensitic transformation temperature, T_M, and above the Curie temperature, T_C, in the austenite phase. It was clear that the magnetic state in the martensite phase just below T_M was paramagnetic for x = 0.02 and 0.04. In further doped ⁵⁷Fe to Ni₂Mn_1.48Sn_0.52, T_C in the austenite phase slightly increased. However, the value of T_M significantly decreased. As a result, martensite phase with small spontaneous magnetization directly transformed to the ferromagnetic austenite phase during heating for x = 0.08. These results obtained from the Mössbauer spectra were consistent with the results of the magnetic measurements in this study and the phase diagram reported by Fukushima et al. for normal Fe-doped Ni₂Mn_1.48−xFe_xSn_0.52 alloys. The breakdown of the general rule, in which the ferromagnetic shape memory alloys with larger value of the valence electrons per atom, e/a, showed higher T_M, was also appeared in Ni₂Mn_1.48−xFe_xSn_0.52 alloys, being similar to Ni₂Mn_1−xFe_xGa alloys. Full article