Versatile Device for the Study of Coupling Properties in Multifunctional Materials. Example: Ni-(Co)-Mn-In Heusler Materials

We report on a versatile experimental setup for the study of the electro-magneto-elasto-thermal coupling for bulk materials having coupling properties. The setup enables measurement of stress and electrical resistivity in a 80-450 K temperature range under controlled uniaxial pressure in a magnetic field up to 8 T. The strong influence of uniaxial pressure and magnetic field on strain and transport properties is shown for Ni-Co-Mn-In Heusler single crystal material. Phase transformation, magnetostress and magnetic field-induced phase transformation, and elastocaloric effect can be estimated using this versatile setup. This device is very complementary to the studies focused on the modeling of thermo-electro-magneto-mechanical behavior for functional materials.