Research in the field of magnetic shape memory alloys (MSMAs) has increased in recent years due to their great interest in their potential applications in smart devices because the reversible deformations undergone. These applications range from actuators, sensors to a magnetic refrigerator and a micro-energy transducer. The well-known example of these alloys is the Heusler type, which has excellent properties, such as; the metamagnetic properties, the magnetocaloric effect (MCE) and the giant magnetoresistance effect (MR). The characterization of the different structures of this type of material is vital for the understanding of their macroscopic and microscopic behavior. The structures of these Heusler alloys are: a high temperature L21 and B2 austenite and L10, 10M and 14M martensite a low temperature. This paper provides a comprehensive review on the recent progress in the development of magnetostructural transformation and magnetocaloric effect, as well as the shape-memory effect induced by the magnetic field in Ni-Mn-X (X= In, Sn, Sb) and Ni-Co-Mn-Y (Y= In, Sn, Sb) Heusler-type MSMAs. The possible challenges and remaining issues are briefly discussed.

The impact of annealing on the structural and martensitic transformation of Mn50Ni42.5Sn7.5 (at.%) shape memory alloy was systematically investigated using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). According to XRD studies, martensite phase a 14M modulated monoclinic structure was detected, at room temperature, for as-cast and annealed alloys. In addition, it has observed that during annealing, the transition temperatures have increased relative to the cast alloy. Also, a high dependence between the cooling rate and activation energy has detected. The more detailed characterization of martensitic transition and account of thermodynamic parameters were examined after annealing. Response to Reviewers:Dear Sir, At first, I would like to thank the reviewer 1 for the constructive remarks and the interest discussions offer for our paper. The given questions pushed us to make another bibliography and discovered the interesting result deduced from the effect of annealing condition on martensitic transformation in a Mn-Ni-Sn alloy. We have considered all your suggestions, which are corrected in the manuscript as following:Responses for Reviewer 1 Comments Question 1: "English text is generally well written using straightforward expressions. However, there is occasional carelessness noticeable in the manuscript and they are better to be corrected by proof reading of the native English speaker." Response Thank you for your comment. The English language has been improved. Question 2: "Page 3, line 4; As you know, vapor pressure of Mn is very high and arc remelting of pure Mn might be very difficult. What was your plan for recycling Mn and control the composition? Meanwhile, evaporation of Mn and its deposition on the visor of the furnace could be another problem. Please explain in detail how did you perform Powered by Editorial Manager® and ProduXion Manager® from Aries Systems Corporation the melting process?" Response Yes, you are right, we detailed the melting process. The equipment used in this study is the Compact Arc Melter MAM-1 model of the commercial house Edmund Bühler. The precursors used to obtain the Mn50Ni42.5Sn7.5 (at. %) bulk alloy are: a Ni metal filament (purity> 99.98%), metallic manganese sheets (purity> 99.98%) and pieces of metallic Sn in the form of small spheres (purity> 99.99%). An extra 5 wt.% Mn was added to compensate for evaporation losses. Polycrystalline of about 4g were prepared by the melting of the precursors under argon atmosphere in a water-cooled copper crucible. The bulk alloy was melted four times, to ensure the homogeneity of the chemical composition. In our case, the starting elements have a high melting point, such as: Melting point of Ni= 1455C, Mn= 1246C, Sn= 231C. To better ensure the recycling of the Mn and control the composition, the elements were placed increasingly according to their melting temperatures more precisely the Sn and the Mn finally the highest Ni. The bulk alloy was fixed in a quartz tube filled wi...