Materials with an abrupt transition between a low and a high thermal conductance state at a critical temperature would be useful for thermal regulation applications. Here, the authors report a high contrast reversible thermal conductivity change through the thermally-induced martensitic transition (MT) in Ni-Mn-In alloys. The authors measure the thermal conductivity of a wide temperature range 130 < T < 530 K using time-domain thermoreflectance (TDTR). The thermal conductivity of these alloys increases from ≈7.0-8.5 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹ to ≈11.5-13.0 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹ through the MT near 300 K as temperature rises, with a rate of change among the highest yet reported in solid-state materials with thermally-induced phase transitions. Based on Hall resistivity measurements, the authors further show that the change of thermal conductivity is dominated by the electronic contribution, which results from a unique carrier mobility change through the MT. Their findings highlight the interplay between the structural disorders and the thermal transport in alloys through solid-state phase transitions and open a new avenue in the search of high-performance materials for thermal regulation. © 2019 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

We investigate the anisotropic superconducting and magnetic properties of single-crystal RbEuFe4As4 using magnetotransport and magnetization measurements. We determine a magnetic ordering temperature of the Eu moments of Tm=15K and a superconducting transition temperature of Tc=36.8K. The superconducting phase diagram is characterized by high upper critical field slopes of -70 and -42 kG/K for in-plane and out-of-plane fields, respectively, and a surprisingly low superconducting anisotropy of Γ=1.7. Ginzburg-Landau parameters of κc∌67 and κab∌108 indicate extreme type-II behavior. These superconducting properties are in line with those commonly seen in optimally doped Fe-based superconductors. In contrast, Eu magnetism is quasi-two dimensional (2D), as evidenced by highly anisotropic in-plane and out-of-plane exchange constants of 0.6 K and <0.04 K. A consequence of the quasi-2D nature of the Eu magnetism are strong magnetic fluctuation effects, a large suppression of the magnetic ordering temperature as compared to the Curie-Weiss temperature, and a kinklike anomaly in the specific heat devoid of any singularity. Magnetization curves reveal a clear magnetic easy-plane anisotropy with in-plane and out-of-plane saturation fields of 2 and 4 kG. © 2018 American Physical Society.

Gallium (Ga) displays several metastable phases. Superconductivity is strongly enhanced in the metastable β-Ga with a critical temperature Tc=6.04(5)K, while stable α-Ga has a much lower Tc<1.2K. Here we use a membrane-based nanocalorimeter to initiate the transition from α-Ga to β-Ga on demand, as well as study the specific heat of the two phases on one and the same sample. The in situ transformation is initiated by bringing the temperature to about 10K above the melting temperature of α-Ga. After such treatment, the liquid supercools down to 232K, where β-Ga solidifies. We find that β-Ga is a strong-coupling type-I superconductor with Δ(0)/kBTc=2.00(5) and a Sommerfeld coefficient γn=1.53(4)mJ/molK2, 2.55 times higher than that in the α phase. The results allow a detailed comparison of fundamental thermodynamic properties between the two phases. © 2018 American Physical Society.

We report on changes in the thermal conductivity of solid-state synthesized Mn_xM Ge (M = Co, Ni, 0.98 < x < 1.02) alloys through their temperature-induced martensitic structural transition. The thermal conductivity is measured by time-domain thermoreflectance. Mn_1.014 NiGe exhibits an increase in thermal conductivity from 11 to 15.5 W m^-1 K^-1 from approximately 575 to 625 K, and Mn_1.007 CoGe exhibits an increase in thermal conductivity from 7 to 8.5 W m^-1 K^-1 from 500 to 550 K. In MnxNiGe, the transition temperature and the magnitude of the change in thermal conductivity are strongly dependent on the alloy composition. Our study advances the fundamental understanding of the thermal transport properties in the Mn_xM Ge(M = Co, Ni) family of alloys and opens a new direction in the search for solid-state phase transition materials with potential applications as thermal regulators. © 2018 American Physical Society

Recent developments in integrated on-chip nano-optomechanical systems are reviewed. Silicon-based nano-optomechanical devices are fabricated by a two-step process, where the first step is a foundry-enabled photonic circuits patterning and the second step involves in-house mechanical device release. We show theoretically that the enhanced responsivity of near-field optical transduction of mechanical displacement in on-chip nano-optomechanical systems originates from the finesse of the optical cavity to which the mechanical device couples. An enhancement in responsivity of more than two orders of magnitude has been observed when compared side-by-side with free-space interferometry readout. We further demonstrate two approaches to facilitate large-scale device integration, namely, wavelength-division multiplexing and frequency-division multiplexing. They are capable of significantly simplifying the design complexity for addressing individual nano-optomechanical devices embedded in a large array. © 2017 World Scientific Publishing Company.

Recent advances in electronics and nanofabrication have enabled membrane-based nanocalorimetry for measurements of the specific heat of microgram-sized samples. We have integrated a nanocalorimeter platform into a 4.5 T split-pair vertical-field magnet to allow for the simultaneous measurement of the specific heat and x-ray scattering in magnetic fields and at temperatures as low as 4 K. This multi-modal approach empowers researchers to directly correlate scattering experiments with insights from thermodynamic properties including structural, electronic, orbital, and magnetic phase transitions. The use of a nanocalorimeter sample platform enables numerous technical advantages: precise measurement and control of the sample temperature, quantification of beam heating effects, fast and precise positioning of the sample in the x-ray beam, and fast acquisition of x-ray scans over a wide temperature range without the need for time-consuming re-centering and re-alignment. Furthermore, on an YBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ crystal and a copper foil, we demonstrate a novel approach to x-ray absorption spectroscopy by monitoring the change in sample temperature as a function of incident photon energy. Finally, we illustrate the new insights that can be gained from in situ structural and thermodynamic measurements by investigating the superheated state occurring at the first-order magneto-elastic phase transition of Fe₂P, a material that is of interest for magnetocaloric applications. © 2017 Author(s).