Microsystems based on Shape Memory Alloys
History: Around 2007, research began on thin films of Cu-Al-Ni alloys through a collaboration between the Division of Metal Physics and the Low-Temperature Laboratory (BT). Cu-Al-Ni alloys exhibit shape memory effect, and thin films of this material, with a thickness close to 5 micrometers, can be fabricated using the sputtering technique.
Objective: This line of research aims to optimize the fabrication process and subsequent treatments of thin films, so that they can function as microactuators. Microstructural characterization techniques such as TEM and XRD are employed, along with measurement techniques like resistivity as a function of temperature.
Shape memory effect in a thin film of Cu-Al-Ni irradiated on one side with Al ions. A reversible shape change is observed between room temperature and low temperature.
Ref: M. Morán, A. M. Condó; S. Suárez; F. Soldera; N. Haberkorn, Materials Letters 255 (2019), 126569.
Researchers from the Division of Metal Physics
Collaborators from other Divisions and/or Institutions:
- Dr. Néstor Haberkorn
- Mg. Carlos Espinoza
- Dr. Julio Guimpel (BT)
Human Resources Training at the Balseiro Institute:
- Master’s Thesis in Physics by Mg. Carlos Espinoza (2008)
- PhD Thesis in Physics by Dr. Mauricio Morán (2019)
