Characterization of preferential orientation of martensitic variants in a single crystal of NiMnGa

We report the detailed observation of martensitic variants in NiMnGa single crystals. The variants that are twinned with each other in different ways can be clearly identified in our single crystals by optical observation. We also investigated the preferential orientation of the martensitic variants in NiMnGa single crystals. We observed the motion of the variant boundary in response to application of a magnetic field. This observation can be used to explain phenomenologically the magnetic-field-induced strain. In the single crystal with composition Ni₅₂Mn₂₄Ga₂₄, martensite with seven modulated layers (7M) shows preferentially oriented variants. A completely recoverable two-way shape-memory behavior was also observed by measuring the free sample in three different directions during a complete temperature cycle. It was found that the largest strains in the 001] and 010] directions occur in different temperature ranges.