Abstract
We have studied the behaviour of defects in off-stoichiometric Ni-Mn-Ga ferromagnetic shape memory alloys by means of positron lifetime spectroscopy. The measurements presented in this work have been performed in six ternary alloys. The studied samples cover a large composition range. Positron experiments have been performed at room temperature after subsequent isochronal annealing at different temperatures up to a maximum temperature of 700°C. Results show a large variation of the average positron lifetime value with the isochronal annealing temperature in three of these samples, with significant differences between them. In the other three, the response is quite different. The results are discussed in terms of different types of positron trapping defects and their evolution with the annealing temperature. The present work shows a high dependence of recovery behaviour with composition in NiMnGa ferromagnetic shape memory alloys.
Export citation and abstract BibTeX RIS
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.