Improved magnetostriction in Galfenol alloys by aligning crystal growth direction along easy magnetization axis

摘要

Galfenol (Iron-gallium) alloys have attracted significant attention as the promising magnetostrictive materials. However, the as-cast Galfenols exhibit the magnetostriction within the range of 20–60?ppm, far below the requirements of high-resolution functional devices. Here, based on the geometric crystallographic relationship, we propose to utilize the 90°-domain switching to improve the magnetostriction of Galfenols by tuning the crystal growth direction (CGD) along the easy magnetization axis (EMA). Our first-principles calculations demonstrate that Pt doping can tune the CGD of Galfenol from [110] to [100], conforming to the EMA. Then, it is experimentally verified in the (Fe0.83Ga0.17)100?xPtx (x?=?0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0) alloys and the magnetostriction is greatly improved from 39?ppm (x?=?0, as-cast) to 103?ppm (x?=?0.8, as-cast) and 188?ppm (x?=?0.8, directionally solidified), accompanying with the increasing CGD alignment along [100]. The present study provides a novel approach to design and develop high-performance magnetostrictive materials.