Tuning macro-twinned domain sizes and the b-variants content of the adaptive 14-modulated martensite in epitaxial Ni–Mn–Ga films by co-sputtering

In order to obtain modulated martensite in our epitaxial Ni–Mn–Ga films, we tuned the composition by using a co-sputtering process. Here we present how the composition affects the variant distribution of the 14-modulated martensite at room temperature. The nature of such modulated martensites is still strongly debated for magnetic shape memory alloys. It has been very recently demonstrated that the modulated martensites in Ni–Mn–Ga are adaptive phases. The results presented here corroborate this theory for the first time, for three different compositions. Moreover, we demonstrate with the help of the adaptive modulations theory that b-variants of the 14-modulated martensite form close to the free surface of the film to release the stress induced by branching of macro-twinned domains during the martensitic transformation on a rigid substrate. At room temperature, the content of such b-variants is found to strongly decrease when the macro-twinned domain sizes increase.