Room-temperature shape-memory effect in Sr(Ni$_{1-x}$Cu$_x$)$_2$P$_2$

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Main Authors: Schmidt, Juan, Horvarth, Alexander J., Lee, Seok-Woo, Bud'ko, Sergey L., Canfield, Paul C.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Schmidt, Juan
Horvarth, Alexander J.
Lee, Seok-Woo
Bud'ko, Sergey L.
Canfield, Paul C.
author_facet Schmidt, Juan
Horvarth, Alexander J.
Lee, Seok-Woo
Bud'ko, Sergey L.
Canfield, Paul C.
contents The compound SrNi$_2$P$_2$ can exhibit multiple crystal structures with no P-P pairs bonded (uncollapsed tetragonal, or ucT, state), with one-third of the P-P pairs bonded (one-third collapsed orthorhombic, or tcO, state), or with all P-P pairs bonded (collapsed tetragonal, or cT, state) across the Sr layers. The system can be tuned into its different states by changing temperature, mechanical stress, or chemical composition. Changes in bonding may manifest in changes of macroscopic properties of the material, such as its shape, electrical conductivity, or magnetism. In this work, we show that SrNi$_2$P$_2$ can be tuned among the three states by changing Cu substitution and temperature. We present temperature-dependent resistance and single-crystal x-ray diffraction results in Sr(Ni$_{1-x}$Cu$_x$)$_2$P$_2$ single-crystals that show that Cu substitution favors the P-P bonding, stabilizing the cT state at ambient pressure. We construct a $T-x$ phase diagram that shows how all of these transition temperatures increase with increasing Cu fraction, $x$. The transition between the tcO state and the cT state exhibits a very large thermal hysteresis, which can be tuned to temperatures close to room temperature. In particular, the properties of Sr(Ni$_{0.963}$Cu$_{0.037}$)$_2$P$_2$ may make it suitable for applications as a shape memory material at room temperature.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_24019
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Room-temperature shape-memory effect in Sr(Ni$_{1-x}$Cu$_x$)$_2$P$_2$
Schmidt, Juan
Horvarth, Alexander J.
Lee, Seok-Woo
Bud'ko, Sergey L.
Canfield, Paul C.
Materials Science
The compound SrNi$_2$P$_2$ can exhibit multiple crystal structures with no P-P pairs bonded (uncollapsed tetragonal, or ucT, state), with one-third of the P-P pairs bonded (one-third collapsed orthorhombic, or tcO, state), or with all P-P pairs bonded (collapsed tetragonal, or cT, state) across the Sr layers. The system can be tuned into its different states by changing temperature, mechanical stress, or chemical composition. Changes in bonding may manifest in changes of macroscopic properties of the material, such as its shape, electrical conductivity, or magnetism. In this work, we show that SrNi$_2$P$_2$ can be tuned among the three states by changing Cu substitution and temperature. We present temperature-dependent resistance and single-crystal x-ray diffraction results in Sr(Ni$_{1-x}$Cu$_x$)$_2$P$_2$ single-crystals that show that Cu substitution favors the P-P bonding, stabilizing the cT state at ambient pressure. We construct a $T-x$ phase diagram that shows how all of these transition temperatures increase with increasing Cu fraction, $x$. The transition between the tcO state and the cT state exhibits a very large thermal hysteresis, which can be tuned to temperatures close to room temperature. In particular, the properties of Sr(Ni$_{0.963}$Cu$_{0.037}$)$_2$P$_2$ may make it suitable for applications as a shape memory material at room temperature.
title Room-temperature shape-memory effect in Sr(Ni$_{1-x}$Cu$_x$)$_2$P$_2$
topic Materials Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.24019