Effect of plastic deformation on physical properties and structure of the shape memory alloy Ti<Subscript>49.5</Subscript>Ni<Subscript>50.5</Subscript>

The effect of severe plastic deformation by torsion (SPDT) in Bridgman anvils at a high pressure (6 GPa) on the physical properties and crystal structure of the shape memory alloy Ti_49.5Ni_50.5 has been studied. The behavior of the thermal expansion, electrical resistivity, absolute differential thermopower, Hall coefficient, magnetic properties, and optical characteristics of the amorphous/nanocrystalline and submicrocrystalline alloys obtained by the SPDT with subsequent heat treatment at 800 K has been discussed.     

Effect of severe plastic deformation on the electronic properties of the Cu<Subscript>72</Subscript>Au<Subscript>24</Subscript>Ag<Subscript>4</Subscript> alloy

The electrical, magnetic, and optical properties of the Cu₇₂Au₂₄Ag₄ ternary alloy in the ordered and disordered states have been studied by the method of severe torsional plastic deformation under pressure in Bridgman anvils. It has been shown that, as a result of this deformation, the residual electrical resistivity of the alloy increases by approximately 11% and the magnitude of the negative thermopower decreases. The high diamagnetic susceptibility of the alloy has been explained by a significant role of charge carriers with the effective mass considerably smaller than the free-electron mass. The behavior of the optical conductivity has been discussed with due regard for the results of energy-band calculations. The experimental data obtained for the Cu₇₂Au₂₄Ag₄ alloy have been compared with the results of similar studies of the Cu₃Au binary alloy.     

Electronic properties of strain-disordered Ni<Subscript>2.16</Subscript>Mn<Subscript>0.84</Subscript>Ga alloy

The effect of ultrarapid quenching from the melt and severe plastic torsional deformation under high pressure on the crystalline structure and the electrical, optical, and magnetic properties of a Ni_2.16Mn_0.84Ga alloy was studied. The electrical properties are discussed in terms of the Mott two-band model. The peculiarities of the magnetic properties are associated with the magnetism of itinerant electrons. The optical properties correlate with the variations in the electronic spectrum upon disordering of the alloy that follow from the results of the available energy-band-structure calculations.     

Effect of severe plastic deformation on the properties of the Pt<Subscript>3</Subscript>Fe antiferromagnet

The effect of atomic disordering on the magnetic, electrical, and optical properties of the Pt_74.1Fe_25.9alloy close in composition to the stoichiometric Pt₃Fe alloy has been studied. It has been shown that, as a result of severe plastic torsional deformation under high pressure, the alloy transforms from the antiferromagnetic state (T _N=164 K) into the ferromagnetic state (T _C≈400 K). In this case, the residual electrical resistivity increases by a factor of more than two and the thermopower changes its sign from positive to negative. The results of the studies of the optical conductivity agree with the previously calculated electronic spectra of the atomically ordered and disordered Pt₃Fe alloys in the range of interband transitions and with the obtained data on the electrical properties in the infrared range.     

Magnetic and Mössbauer Studies of Fe<Subscript>76</Subscript>Mo<Subscript>8</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>1</Subscript>B<Subscript>15</Subscript> Amorphous Alloy

“Zero field”-Mössbauer and magnetization measurements have been performed on an amorphous Fe₇₆Mo₈Cu₁B₁₅ alloy in the temperature range of (10-340) K. The room-temperature Mössbauer spectrum exhibits magnetic dipole and electric quadrupole interactions. At approximately 306 K, the magnetic interactions vanish and the alloy shows fully paramagnetic behavior. On the other hand, the relative representation of paramagnetic component becomes weak with decreasing temperature and below 220 K the magnetic dipole interactions prevail. Below this temperature an anomaly in the low-temperature dependencies of ac susceptibility and of magnetization, measured during cooling the specimen from 340 K down to 20 K is observed. The anomaly on the magnetization curve vanishes in the field of 200 Oe.     

Temperature dependence of the magnetic properties and magnetoimpedance of nanocrystalline Fe<Subscript>73.5</Subscript>Si<Subscript>16.5</Subscript>B<Subscript>6</Subscript>Nb<Subscript>3</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>1</Subscript> ribbons

The temperature dependences of the magnetic properties and the magnetoimpedance effect of soft magnetic nanocrystalline Fe_73.5Si_16.5B₆Nb₃Cu₁ alloy ribbons are studied in the temperature range 24–160°C. A high temperature sensitivity of the impedance and the magnetoimpedance effect of the ribbons are detected in the ac frequency range 0.1–50 MHz. At an ac frequency of 50 MHz, the change in the impedance reaches 0.2 Ω/°C (0.5%/°C) in the temperature range 85–160°C. When the temperature increases, a monotonically decreasing character of the dependence of the magnetoimpedance effect on the applied magnetic field changes into a dependence having an increasing initial segment. The effect of temperature on the magnetoimpedance properties of the soft magnetic nanocrystalline ribbons is shown to result from temperature-induced changes in their electrical conductivity, magnetization, and effective magnetic anisotropy.     

Magnetically controlled thermoelastic martensite transformations and properties of a fine-grained Ni<Subscript>54</Subscript>Mn<Subscript>21</Subscript>Ga<Subscript>25</Subscript> alloy

Comparative studies of physical characteristics (the electrical resistivity, the magnetic susceptibility, the magnetization, the bending deformation, and the degree of shape recovery during subsequent heating) of the Ni₅₄Mn₂₁Ga₂₅ ferromagnetic alloy as-cast and rapidly quenched from melt have been performed in the temperature range 2–400 K. The results are compared to the results of studying the structural–phase transformations by transmission and scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. It is found that the rapid quenching influences the microstructure, the magnetic state, the critical temperatures, and the specific features of thermoelastic martensite transformations in the alloy. It is found that the resource of the alloy plasticity and thermomechanical bending cyclic stability demonstrates a record-breaking increase in the intercritical temperature range and during subsequent heating.     

Influence of the special features of the effective magnetic anisotropy on the temperature dependences of the magnetoimpedance of nanocrystalline Fe<Subscript>73.5</Subscript>Si<Subscript>16.5</Subscript>B<Subscript>6</Subscript>Nb<Subscript>3</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>1</Subscript> strips

The influence of the thermal treatment type on the temperature dependences of the magnetoimpedance of nanocrystalline Fe_73.5Si_16.5B₆Nb₃Cu₁ alloy strips is investigated. The main mechanisms determining the temperature behavior of the magnetoimpedance of strips with induced magnetic anisotropy having various special features are established. The prospects for application of the alloy strips nanocrystallized in the presence of a magnetic field as sensitive elements of temperature sensors and special magnetic field detectors are demonstrated.     

Large successive magnetocaloric effects around room temperature in Ni<Subscript>50</Subscript>Mn<Subscript>34</Subscript>In<Subscript>15</Subscript>Al alloy

Two successive magnetocaloric effects consisting of inverse magnetocaloric effect around martensitic transition and negative magnetocaloric effect around magnetic transition of austenitic phase have been observed in Ni₅₀Mn₃₄In₁₅Al alloy. Large inverse magnetic entropy change ΔS_m ( ~ 21.3 J kg^?1 K^?1), small thermal and magnetic hysteresis of martensitic transition give rise of large net refrigerant capacity ( ~ 152.3 J kg^?1) under a magnetic field of 50 kOe, which is comparable with that ( ~ 157.9 J kg^?1) of second-order transition. The large combined magnetocaloric effects make the Ni₅₀Mn₃₄In₁₅Al alloy as a promising candidate material for room temperature magnetic refrigeration.     

Low-temperature electron properties of Heusler alloys Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript>VAl and Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript>CrAl: Effect of annealing

We present the results of measurements of low-temperature heat capacity, as well as electrical and magnetic properties of Heusler alloys Fe₂VAl and Fe₂CrAl prepared in different ways using various heat treatment regimes. The density of states at the Fermi level is estimated. A contribution of ferromagnetic clusters in the low-temperature heat capacity of the Fe₂VAl alloy is detected. The change in the number and volume of clusters as a result of annealing of an alloy affects the behavior of their low-temperature heat capacity, resistivity, and magnetic properties.     

Effect of atomic disordering and iron admixture on the structure and properties of the Cu<Subscript>3</Subscript>Pd alloy

It is shown that the periodic antiphase domain structure of the Cu₃Pd alloy disappears as a result of disordering and doping with iron. The observed changes in the electrical, optical, and magnetic properties indicate an insignificant reconstruction of the electronic spectrum near the Fermi level as a result of the alloy disordering and a more significant reconstruction due to doping with iron.     

X-ray diffraction studies of the structure of nanocrystals in Fe<Subscript>73.5</Subscript>Si<Subscript>13.5</Subscript>B<Subscript>9</Subscript>Nb<Subscript>3</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>1</Subscript> soft magnetic alloys before and after thermomechanical treatment

The structure of the Fe_73.5Si_13.5B₉Nb₃Cu₁ soft magnetic alloy has been investigated using X-ray diffraction in transmission geometry. The initial alloy prepared by rapid quenching from the melt has a short-range order (∼2 nm) in the atomic arrangement, which is characteristic of the Fe-Si structure with a body-centered cubic lattice. The alloy subjected to annealing contains Fe-Si nanocrystals with sizes as large as 10–12 nm. The annealing under a tensile load leads to an extension of the nanocrystal lattice so that, after cooling, a significant residual deformation is retained. This can be judged from the relative shifts of the (hkl) peaks in the X-ray diffraction patterns measured for two orientations of the scattering vector, namely, parallel and perpendicular to the direction of the load applied. The deformation is anisotropic: within the accuracy of the experiment, no distortions in the [111] direction are observed and the distortions in the [100] direction are maximum. It is known that crystals with a composition close to Fe₃Si exhibit a negative magnetostriction; i.e., their magnetization induced under a load (Villari effect) applied along the [100] direction is perpendicular to this direction along one of the easy magnetization ([010] or [001]) axes. In the alloy, the orientation of the nanocrystal axes is isotropic and the majority of the nanocrystals have a composition close to Fe₃Si. The direction of magnetization of these nanocrystals is determined by the residual deformation of their lattice and lies near the plane perpendicular to the direction of the tensile load applied during heat treatment. This is responsible for the appearance of transverse magnetic anisotropy of the easy-plane type in the Fe_73.5Si_13.5B9Nb₃Cu₁ alloy.     

Dependence of the optical properties of Fe<Subscript>78</Subscript>Si<Subscript>10</Subscript>B<Subscript>12</Subscript> amorphous alloy on its structural state

The optical properties of Fe₇₈Si₁₀B₁₂ ferromagnetic alloy in amorphous, crystalline, and intermediate structural states have been investigated by ellipsometry in the spectral range of 0.22–18 μm. It is established that alloy crystallization leads to a significant change in the optical constants and the frequency dependences of the dielectric functions calculated based on these optical constants. The structural reconstruction under heat treatment leads to an increase in the intensity and shift of interband absorption bands. The plasma and relaxation frequencies of conduction electrons are determined; their numerical values also depend on the degree of atomic ordering.     

Features of the formation of an oxide layer on the surface of amorphous Zr<Subscript>41.2</Subscript>Ti<Subscript>13.8</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>12.5</Subscript>Ni<Subscript>10.0</Subscript>Be<Subscript>22.5</Subscript> alloy

Field investigations were performed into the nature of oxidation of Zr_41.2Ti_13.8Cu_12.5Ni_10.0Be_22.5 alloy (Vitreloy-1), a new alloy highly promising for in -vessel mirrors of the ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor). The main methods of investigation were X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and multi-angle ellipsometry. The resistance of the optical properties of Vitreloy-1 against radiation impact was explained by the oxidation of the surface layer, based on the features of the diffusion process in amorphous alloys and of interaction between amorphous metal alloys with hydrogen.     

Magnetotransport characteristics of strained La<Subscript>0.7</Subscript>Sr<Subscript>0.3</Subscript>MnO<Subscript>3</Subscript> epitaxial manganite films

The electrical and magnetic characteristics of La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ (LSMO) epitaxial manganite films are investigated by different methods under conditions when the crystal structure is strongly strained as a result of mismatch between the lattice parameters of the LSMO crystal and the substrate. Substrates with lattice parameters larger and smaller than the nominal lattice parameter of the LSMO crystal are used in experiments. It is shown that the behavior of the temperature dependence of the electrical resistance for the films in the low-temperature range does not depend on the strain of the film and agrees well with the results obtained from the calculations with allowance made for the interaction of electrons with magnetic excitations in the framework of the double-exchange model for systems with strongly correlated electronic states. Investigations of the magneto- optical Kerr effect have revealed that an insignificant (0.3%) orthorhombic distortion of the cubic lattice in the plane of the NdGaO₃(110) substrate leads to uniaxial anisotropy of the magnetization of the film, with the easy-magnetization axis lying in the substrate plane. However, LSMO films on substrates (((LaAlO₃)_0.3+(Sr₂AlTaO₆)_0.7)(001)) ensuring minimum strain of the films exhibit a biaxial anisotropy typical of cubic crystals. The study of the ferromagnetic resonance lines at a frequency of 9.76 GHz confirms the results of magnetooptical investigations and indicates that the ferromagnetic phase in the LSMO films is weakly inhomogeneous.     

Effect of a magnetic field on the thermal expansion of Ni<Subscript>2.08</Subscript>Mn<Subscript>0.96</Subscript>Ga<Subscript>0.96</Subscript> alloys

The effect of a magnetic field on the temperature dependence of thermal expansion of Ni_2.08Mn_0.96Ga_0.96 alloy in the range of structural-phase transformation is investigated. It is found that, when the sample is cooled in a magnetic field with an intensity of 110 kA/m, it shortens by 0.21% more strongly than upon cooling in the absence of the magnetic field. The additional shortening of the sample under the action of the magnetic field depends on the intensity of the magnetic field applied to the sample.     

Magnetic and Mössbauer Studies of Fe<Subscript>76</Subscript>Mo<Subscript>8</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>1</Subscript>B<Subscript>15</Subscript> Nanocrystalline Alloy

The influence of different degrees of crystallinity on the magnetic behaviour of heat-treated nanocrystalline Fe₇₆Mo₈Cu₁B₁₅ alloy has been investigated using a combination of Mössbauer spectrometry and magnetic measurements. The evolution of magnetically active regions and their growth with rising contents of nanocrystals are followed by distributions of hyperfine interactions. Combined electric quadrupole and magnetic dipole interactions corresponding to non-magnetic and magnetic regions inside the amorphous phase, respectively, were revealed. A deterioration of the soft-magnetic properties takes place for the samples exhibiting low fraction of crystallinity. The very good soft-magnetic behaviour is regained for the samples where the primary crystallization process is almost finished.     

Synthesis and electrical conductivity of a new Ag<Subscript>6</Subscript>SnS<Subscript>4</Subscript>Br<Subscript>2</Subscript> superionic compound

The conditions of synthesizing a new Ag₆SnS₄Br₂ compound were studied. The crystallographic parameters of the unit cell were determined as follows: space group Pnma, a=6.67050(10) Å, b=7.82095(9) Å, c=23.1404(3) Å, and Z=4. The total electrical conductivity and its ionic component were measured by a dc probe method in the temperature range 210–380 K. Kinks in the conductivity curve and the differential thermogram of heating the alloy were revealed at 235 K. It was concluded that the mass and charge transfers in the compacted Ag₆SnS₄Br₂ alloy powder have an intragrain character.     

Electrical resistivity and magnetotransport in La<Subscript>0.67</Subscript>Ba<Subscript>0.33</Subscript>MnO<Subscript>3</Subscript> films asymmetrically biaxially compressed by an NdGaO<Subscript>3</Subscript>(001) substrate

The La_0.67Ba_0.33MnO₃(40 nm) films are quasi-coherently grown on an NdGaO₃(001) substrate with an orthorhombic unit cell distortion of ～1.4%. The biaxial compressive stresses generated during nucleation and growth lead to a decrease in the unit cell volume of the grown layers. This, in turn, results in a decrease (by ～35 K) in the temperature of the maximum in the dependence of the electrical resistivity ρ of the layers on the temperature. For T < 150 K, the electrical resistivity ρ of the films increases in proportion to ρ₂ T ^4.5 and the coefficient ρ₂ decreases almost linearly with increasing magnetic field H. The negative magnetoresistance (≈?0.17 for μ₀ H = 1 T) reaches a maximum at temperatures close to room temperature. The response of the electrical resistivity ρ of the La_0.67Ba_0.33MnO₃(40 nm) films to the magnetic field depends on the crystallographic direction of the film orientation and the angle between H and I (where I is the electric current through the film).     

Symmetry-dependent Mn-magnetism in Al<Subscript>69.8</Subscript>Pd<Subscript>12.1</Subscript>Mn<Subscript>18.1</Subscript>

We investigated the stability of magnetic moments in Al_69.8Pd_12.1Mn_18.1. This alloy exists in both, the icosahedral (i) and the decagonal (d) quasicrystalline form. The transition from the i- to the d-phase is achieved by a simple heat treatment. We present the results of measurements of the ²⁷Al NMR-response, the dc magnetic susceptibility, and the low-temperature specific heat of both phases. In the icosahedral compound, the majority of the Mn ions carries a magnetic moment. Their number is reduced by approximately a factor of two by transforming the alloy to its decagonal variety. For both compounds, we have indications for two different local environments of the Al nuclei. The first reflects a low density of states of conduction electrons and a weak coupling of the Al nuclei to the Mn-moments. The second type of environment implies a large d-electron density of states at the Fermi level and a strong coupling to the magnetic Mn moments. Spin-glass freezing transitions are observed at T^deca_f=12 K for the decagonal, and T^ico_f=19 K for the icosahedral phase.