Characterizing Changes in Grain Growth, Mechanical Properties, and Transformation Properties in Differently Sintered and Annealed Binder-Jet 3D Printed 14M Ni–Mn–Ga Magnetic Shape Memory Alloys

Ni–Mn–Ga Heusler alloys are multifunctional materials that demonstrate macroscopic strain under an externally applied magnetic field through the motion of martensite twin boundaries within the microstructure. This study sought to comprehensively characterize the microstructural, mechanical, thermal, and magnetic properties near the solidus in binder-jet 3D printed 14M Ni₅₀Mn₃₀Ga₂₀. Neutron diffraction data were analyzed to identify the martensite modulation and observe the grain size evolution in samples sintered at temperatures of 1080^◦C and 1090^◦C. Large clusters of high neutron-count pixels in samples sintered at 1090^◦C were identified, suggesting Bragg diffraction of large grains (near doubling in size) compared to 1080^◦C sintered samples. The grain size was confirmed through quantitative stereology of polished surfaces for differently sintered and heat-treated samples. Nanoindentation testing revealed a greater resistance to plasticity and a larger elastic modulus in 1090^◦C sintered samples (relative density ~95%) compared to the samples sintered at 1080^◦C (relative density ~80%). Martensitic transformation temperatures were lower for samples sintered at 1090^◦C than 1080^◦C, though a further heat treatment step could be added to tailor the transformation temperature. Microstructurally, twin variants ≤10 µm in width were observed and the presence of magnetic anisotropy was confirmed through magnetic force microscopy. This study indicates that a 10^◦C sintering temperature difference can largely affect the microstructure and mechanical properties (including elastic modulus and hardness) while still allowing for the presence of magnetic twin variants in the resulting modulated martensite.