A new approach to grow the Heusler Ni-Mn-Sn unidirectional crystal

Growing the Heusler Ni-Mn-Sn unidirectional crystals is challenging. In the present work, a modified zone-melting method has been developed on the basis of traditional optical floating zone furnace, and high-quality Ni47Mn38Sn15 unidirectional crystal has been produced in 0.8 MPa high-pressure atmosphere. Experimental results showed that the unidirectional crystal was β{110} preferentially oriented and chemical compositions distributed almost homogenously. The modified high-pressure optical zone-melting technique opens interesting perspectives for fabrication of unidirectional materials containing high-manganese.