Thermal hysteresis is recognized as one of the main drawbacks for cyclical applications of magnetocaloric and ferromagnetic shape memory materials with first-order transformations. As such, the challenge is to develop strategies that improve the compatibility between the phases involved in the transitions and study its influence on thermal hysteresis. With this purpose, we explore the thermal, structural, and magnetic properties of the ${\mathrm{Ni}}_2{\mathrm{Mn}}_{1-x}{\mathrm{Cu}}_x{\mathrm{Ga}}_{0.84}{\mathrm{Al}}_{0.16}$ Heusler alloys. The alloys present a thermal hysteresis reduction of ∼60% when the Cu content in the compound varies from $x=0.10$ to $x=0.25$, with a minimum hysteresis width of 6 K being achieved. We applied the geometric nonlinear theory of martensite to address the phase compatibility, quantified by the parameter ${\lambda }_2$, the middle eigenvalue of the transformation stretch tensor, and found that the minimum of hysteresis is associated with a better crystallographic compatibility (${\lambda }_2$ closer to 1) between the austenite and martensite phases. In addition, we show that the valleylike properties of hysteresis found in the ${\mathrm{Ni}}_2{\mathrm{Mn}}_{1-x}{\mathrm{Cu}}_x{\mathrm{Ga}}_{0.84}{\mathrm{Al}}_{0.16}$ compounds is present in several other alloys in the literature. These results provide pathways to understand as well as to master the phase compatibility and ultimately achieve a low thermal hysteresis in multifunctional Heusler alloys.

We investigate a series of manganese oxides, the La0.225Pr0.4(Ca1-xSrx)0.375MnO3 system. The x = 0 sample is a prototype compound for the study of phase separation in manganites, where ferromagnetic and charge ordered antiferromagnetic phases coexist. Replacing Ca2+ by Sr2+ gradually turns the system into a homogeneous ferromagnet. Our results show that the material structure plays a major role in the observed magnetic properties. On cooling, at temperatures below 100 K, a strong contraction of the lattice is followed by an increase in the magnetization. This is observed both through thermal expansion and magnetostriction measurements, providing distinct evidence of magneto-elastic coupling in these phase separated compounds

P { line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.25cm; background: transparent }a:link { color: #000080; text-decoration: underline }Tailoring core-shell nanostructures using iron oxide core (Fe3O4) and titanium dioxide shell (TiO2) offer a promising multifunctional platform for multimodal cancer therapies. TiO2 shell exhibits photo-responsive optical properties suitable for optical imaging and phototherapies, while Fe3O4 magnetic core enables magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic hyperthermia therapy (MHT). This present work reports synthesis and characterization from core-shell Fe3O4@TiO2 and Fe3O4@SiO2@TiO2 nanostructures. Structural and physical properties were evaluated using X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), High-Resolution Scanning Electron Microscopy (HRSEM), Diffuse UV-Vis Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS) and SQUID magnetometry. This work highlights the potential use of magnetic (core) and optically activated (shell) nanostructures for multimodal therapies assisted by magnetic hyperthermia.

PCrystalX-Web is a web application developed to be easy and fast to use. The purpose of the software is that researchers from any area are able to use two methods to analyze an X-ray diffraction pattern more straightforwardly. With the full width at half maximum (FWHM) as a function of 2$\theta$ for each peak, it is possible to estimate the crystallite size by the Scherrer equation and apply the Williamson-Hall methods. PCrystalX-Web is a simplified version of the PCrystalX Software [1] program, which is still under development.

Calcium niobate ceramics were synthesized by the solid-state reaction of seashell-derived CaCO₃ and Nb₂O₅ at a molar ratio of 4:1 over the temperature range of 800–1200 °C for 8 h. This work provides a correlated structural, morphological, and thermophysical characterization of the resulting calcium niobate phases. X-ray diffraction coupled with Rietveld refinement revealed a temperature-dependent phase transformation from a CaNb₂O₆-rich composition at lower synthesis temperatures to a Ca₄Nb₂O₉-rich material at higher temperatures. At 1200 °C, Ca₄Nb₂O₉ was obtained as the predominant phase (96.16 ± 1.81%), with only a minor Ca₂Nb₂O₇ contribution. This phase evolution was accompanied by an increase in the Ca₄Nb₂O₉ crystallite size from 39.49 ± 0.19 nm at 1000 °C to 50.38 ± 0.24 nm at 1200 °C. SEM analysis showed a concurrent morphological transformation from agglomerated and irregular particles to well-defined elongated and platelet-like particles, indicating enhanced crystallization and grain growth. Thermophysical properties were determined using open photoacoustic cell and laser-flash techniques. Thermal diffusivity ranged from 1.86 to 3.12 × 10⁻⁷ m² s⁻¹, heat capacity from 0.79 to 1.30 × 10⁴ JK⁻¹ m⁻³, thermal conductivity from 0.15 to 0.41 Wm⁻¹ K⁻¹, and thermal effusivity from 0.36 to 0.73 kWs^1/2 m⁻² K⁻¹. The combined results establish a clear synthesis–structure–property relationship and identify the Ca₄Nb₂O₉-rich ceramic obtained at 1200 °C as a promising low-thermal-conductivity material. The use of seashell waste additionally provides a renewable calcium precursor for the synthesis.