Chapter Six - Lightweight, multifunctional materials based on magnetic shape memory alloys

Abstract

In recent years, considerable efforts have been undertaken to fabricate and investigate the low-dimensionally shaped Heusler-type magnetic shape memory alloys (MSMAs). As a result, new light-weight, multifunctional materials, such as MSMA/polymer composites, foams, thin films, micropillars, thin wires and ribbons, are developed for small-scale applications such as actuators, sensors, and energy conversion devices. These materials have been shown to exhibit a diversity of physical phenomena caused by size effects. Particularly, various thermo-magneto-mechanical coupling effects have been found in these materials at small scales opening up novel routes for microactuation and related micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS) applications. This chapter highlights the last developments in the MSMA research field providing a brief overview of the properties, engineering issues, and fabrication technologies of such materials. The recent achievements in micro- and nanotechnology of MSMAs and first demonstrators for nanoactuation are represented.