Evidence for strain glass transition in a highly nickel-rich ferroelastic alloy

Highly Ni-rich NiTi alloys have attracted interest due to their unique mechanical and functional properties. Most research on these alloys has focused on mechanical properties under heat treatment. Here, we investigate the dynamic mechanical characteristics and microstructural evolution of the B2 matrix in Ni₅₄Ti₄₆ alloy. The findings demonstrate that softening in storage modulus is accompanied by the successive formation and constrained growth of nanodomains over a wide temperature range, indicating a strain glass transition occurs in the B2 matrix of Ni₅₄Ti₄₆ alloy.