Stable magnetostructural coupling with tunable magnetoresponsive effects in hexagonal ferromagnets

Abstract

The magnetostructural coupling between the structural and the magnetic transition has a crucial role in magnetoresponsive effects in a martensitic-transition system. A combination of various magnetoresponsive effects based on this coupling may facilitate the multifunctional applications of a host material. Here we demonstrate the feasibility of obtaining a stable magnetostructural coupling over a broad temperature window from 350 to 70 K, in combination with tunable magnetoresponsive effects, in MnNiGe:Fe alloys. The alloy exhibits a magnetic-field-induced martensitic transition from paramagnetic austenite to ferromagnetic martensite. The results indicate that stable magnetostructural coupling is accessible in hexagonal phase-transition systems to attain the magnetoresponsive effects with broad tunability. The coupling that occurs between the structural and the magnetic properties of magnetic materials leads to a host of magnetoresponsive effects that are useful for potential technological applications. Here, a strong magnetostructural coupling that persists over a wide temperature range is reported in MnNiGe:Fe alloys.