Microstructure evolution and kinetic laws for the motion of multiple twin boundaries in Ni–Mn–Ga

Abstract

The motion of individual twin boundaries in ferromagnetic Ni–Mn–Ga alloys is the basic mechanism by which large reversible strains are generated. The resulting mechanical response makes these alloys potential candidates for magneto-mechanical actuation applications. In this work, we characterize the relations between the magnetically induced strain response of Ni–Mn–Ga single crystals and their internal twin boundary arrangements and kinetics. The macroscopic response is measured under constant magnetic fields, while the kinetics of individual twin boundaries is measured by the pulsed magnetic field method. By testing two different crystals with different twinning microstructures, we show that the main characteristics of the macroscopic response can be controlled by the number of mobile twin boundaries. In addition, we show that the magnitudes of controlling kinetic parameters of different twin boundaries vary with their location within the sample.