• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.6-8
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• 2019

Iron-based superconductors (IBSs) possess nematic phases in which rotational symmetry of the electronic structure is spontaneously broken. This novel phase has attracted much attention as it is believed to be closely linked to the superconductivity. However, observation of the symmetry broken phase by using a macroscopic experimental tool is a hard task because of naturally formed twin domains. Here, we report on a novel detwinning method by using a magnetic field on FeTe single crystal. Detwinning effect was measured by resistivity anisotropy using the Montgomery method. Our results show that FeTe was detwinned at 2T, which is a relatively weak field compared to the previously reported result. Furthermore, detwinning effect is retained even when the field is turned off after field cooling, making it an external stimulation-free detwinning method.

• Journal of Magnetics
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.168-172
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• 2016

$BiMnO_3$ has been a promising candidate as a magnetoelectric multiferroic while there have been many controversial reports on its ferroelectricity. The detailed analysis of its film growth, especially the growth of thin film having monoclinic symmetry has not been reported. We studied the effect of miscut angle, the substrate surface, and film thickness on the symmetry of $BiMnO_3$ thin film. A flat $SrTiO_3$ (110) substrate resulted in a thin film with three domains of $BiMnO_3$ and 1 degree miscut in the $SrTiO_3$ (110) substrate resulted in dominant domain preference in the $BiMnO_3$ thin film. The larger miscut resulted in a nearly perfect detwinned $BiMnO_3$ film with a monoclinic phase. This strong power of domain selection due to the step edge of the substrate was efficient even for the thicker film which showed a rather relaxed growth behavior along the $SrTiO_3$ [1-10] direction.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.183-193
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• 2022

Structural health monitoring and structural vibration control are multidisciplinary and frontier research directions of civil engineering. As intelligent materials that integrate sensing and actuation capabilities, shape memory alloys (SMAs) exhibit multiple excellent characteristics, such as shape memory effect, superelasticity, corrosion resistance, fatigue resistance, and high energy density. Moreover, SMAs possess excellent resistance sensing properties and large deformation ability. Superfine NiTi SMA wires have potential applications in structural health monitoring and micro-drive system. In this study, the mechanical properties and electrical resistance sensing characteristics of superfine NiTi SMA wires were experimentally investigated. The mechanical parameters such as residual strain, hysteretic energy, secant stiffness, and equivalent damping ratio were analyzed at different training strain amplitudes and numbers of loading-unloading cycles. The results demonstrate that the detwinning process shortened with increasing training amplitude, while austenitic mechanical properties were not affected. In addition, superfine SMA wires showed good strain-resistance linear correlation, and the loading rate had little effect on their mechanical properties and electrical resistance sensing characteristics. This study aims to provide an experimental basis for the application of superfine SMA wires in engineering.