%0 Journal Article %A Manea, Nafea %A Welter, Edmund %A Priolkar, Kaustubh %T Role of local structural distortions in the variation of martensitic transformation temperature with e/a ratio in Ni<sub>2</sub>Mn<sub>1+x</sub>Z<sub>1−x</sub> (Z = In, Sn or Sb) alloys %J Physical chemistry, chemical physics %V 27 %N 5 %@ 1463-9076 %C Cambridge %I RSC Publ. %M PUBDB-2025-00815 %P 2528 - 2535 %D 2025 %X Ni<sub>2</sub>Mn<sub>1+x</sub>Z<sub>1−x</sub> (Z = In, Sn or Sb) undergo martensitic transformation with transformation temperature (TM) scaling with the average valence electron per atom (e/a) ratio. However, the rate of increase of TM depends on the type of Z atom, with the slope of TM vs. e/a curve increasing from Z = In to Z = Sb. Local structural distortions are believed to be the leading cause of martensitic transformation in these alloys. A careful study of the Ni and Mn local structures in several Ni<sub>2</sub>Mn<sub>1+x</sub>Z<sub>1−x</sub> alloys with varying e/a ratio and the same Z atom, with the same e/a ratio but different Z atoms and with the same T<sub>M</sub> but with different Z atoms and different e/a ratio, revealed that the difference between Ni–Mn and Ni–Z nearest neighbor distances decreases as the Z atom changes from In to Sb. This decrease in the local structural distortion accommodates a higher content of Mn until the L2<sub>1</sub> structure becomes unstable and the alloy undergoes a martensitic transformation. %F PUB:(DE-HGF)16 %9 Journal Article %$ 39804236 %U <Go to ISI:>//WOS:001395292400001 %R 10.1039/D4CP04014G %U https://bib-pubdb1.desy.de/record/624346