Investigations of Shape Deformation Behaviors of the Ferromagnetic Ni–Mn–Ga Alloy/Porous Silicone Rubber Composite towards Actuator Applications

Ferromagnetic shape memory alloys (FSMAs), which are potential candidates for future technologies (i.e., actuators in robots), have been paid much attention for their high work per volume and rapid response as external stimulation, such as a magnetic field, is imposed. Among all the FSMAs, the Ni–Mn–Ga-based alloys were considered promising materials due to their appropriate phase transformation temperatures and ferromagnetism. Nevertheless, their intrinsic embrittlement issue and sluggish twin motion due to the inhibition of grain boundaries restrict their practicability. This study took advantage of the single-crystal Ni–Mn–Ga cube/silicone rubber composite materials to solve the two aforementioned difficulties. The single-crystal Ni–Mn–Ga cube was prepared by using a high-temperature alloying procedure and a floating-zone (FZ) method, and the cubes were verified to be the near-{100}(p) Ni–Mn–Ga alloy. Various room temperature (RT) curing silicone rubbers were utilized as matrix materials. Furthermore, polystyrene foam particles (PFP) were used to provide pores, allowing a porous silicone rubber matrix. It was found that the elastic modulus of the silicone rubber was successfully reduced by introducing the PFP. Additionally, the magnetic field-induced martensite variant reorientation (MVR) was greatly enhanced by introducing a porous structure into the silicone rubber. The single-crystal Ni–Mn–Ga cube/porous silicone rubber composite materials are considered to be promising materials for applications in actuators.