Characterization of the martensitic transformation in melt-spun NiMnGa ribbons by magnetoinductive effect

The magnetoinductance effect, in particular, the temperature dependence of the AC complex impedance, Z(T), has been employed in the characterization of the martensitic transformation (NIT) in a melt-spun Ni52.5Mn24.5Ga23 ribbon. While the resistive component shows the characteristic decrease associated with the martensite-to-austenite transformation, the inductive component reflects the temperature dependence of the magnetic permeability of the sample. These structural and magnetic changes associated with the characteristic NIT were experimentally checked by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetry analysis (TGA). The results indicate that the AC impedance technique can be employed as a very simple and versatile characterization technique in the analysis of NIT in magnetic memory shape alloys. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.