Kinetic arrest of martensitic transformation in the NiCoMnIn metamagnetic shape memory alloy

Abstract

Magnetic and electrical resistivity changes due to a martensitic transformation in large magnetic fields were investigated in a NiCoMnIn alloy. The transformation is interrupted at about 150K during field cooling and does not proceed with further cooling. The obtained two-phase condition is frozen at low temperatures and zero field heating releases this condition, inducing a “forward” transformation. These unusual phenomena can be explained by an abnormal behavior in the transformation entropy change and an extremely low mobility of the phase interfaces detected at low temperatures.