Abstract
An alloy has been made that undergoes a remarkably reproducible phase transition over thousands of cycles. This finding could allow the development of practically useful materials that 'remember' their shape after deformation. See Letter p.85 Martensitic transformations are diffusionless, solid-to-solid phase transformations characterized by a change of crystal structure that can often be very useful. Applications include medical sensors, eco-friendly refrigerators and energy conversion devices. Repeated transformation cycles, however, can cause thermal hysteresis that modifies the material's properties and can cause permanent damage. Here Richard James and colleagues report the development of a martensitic alloy of zinc, gold and copper that maintains near-reproducible macroscopic properties despite drastic changes in its microstructure during each cycle. As well as providing a system that throws new light on the effects of hysteresis on reversible martensitic phase transformations, this work could help to extend applications for the materials in new areas — towards shape memory alloys for instance.
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