This work reviews recent research on the design and control of interfaces in engineering nanomaterials. Four case studies are presented that demonstrate the power of a multimodal approach to the characterization of different types of interfaces. We have used a combination of conventional, high resolution, and analytical transmission electron microscopy, microbeam electron diffraction, and three-dimensional atom probe to study polymer–clay nanocomposites, turbine rotor steels used for power generation, multicomponent aluminum alloys, and nanocrystalline magnetic materials.

New candidate ferromagnetic semiconductors have recently been grown by doping semiconducting transition-metal oxides with magnetic impurities. Some of these exhibit ferromagnetism at and above room temperature. The critical question is why? In many cases, complex solid-state chemistry is involved in the synthesis and drives the resulting properties. The observation of room-temperature ferromagnetism in these materials must be accompanied by a careful identification of the phases and structures present in order to accurately identify the origin of the magnetism.

Shape-memory alloys are now widely used because they exhibit a large recoverable strain, which is caused by the conversion of variants in the martensite phase. The conversion of variants is usually promoted by the application of external stress. Recently, however, it was found that the conversion of variants can also be promoted by the application of a magnetic field to induce the martensitic state in ferromagnetic Ni2MnGa shape-memory alloys. Since then, the research in this field has focused considerable attention on applications for using the materials as actuators and sensors because their response to a magnetic field is much faster than their response to heating or cooling. Furthermore, the mechanism of the conversion of variants by the magnetic field has attracted academic interest from many researchers. In this article, we show giant magnetostrictive behavior in three ferromagnetic shape-memory alloys—Ni2MnGa, Fe-Pd, and Fe3Pt—and review the investigations performed so far by many researchers, including the present authors.