Paramagnetism and martensite stabilization of tensile strained NiTi shape memory alloy.

We present an experimental and theoretical study of Pauli paramagnetism and martensite stabilization in a near equiatomic NiTi shape memory alloy. We demonstrate a direct correlation between strain-induced shear of the B19′ NiTi lattice and its electronic and thermodynamical features. An increase in the monoclinic angle β from 97.4 to 98° induces a 7% decrease in the magnetic susceptibility because of a shift and deepening of a dip in B19′ density of states at the Fermi level. It also produces a decrease in the B19′ enthalpy, which translates into an increase in the martensite-to-austenite transition temperature by 60 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]