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Porous Metals: Preparation, Microstructure, Properties and Performance
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Porous Metals: Preparation, Microstructure, Properties and Performance

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Porous Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 April 2025 | Viewed by 6403

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Yuyuan Zhao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, Ningbo University of Technology, Ningbo, China
2. School of Engineering, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3GH, UK
Interests: porous metals; metal matrix syntactic foams; metal powders; thermos-fluids in porous media
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Huiping Tang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Advanced Materials Additive Manufacturing Innovation Research Center, Hangzhou City University, Hangzhou, China
Interests: porous metals; powder metallurgy; additive manufacturing

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Porous metals (also known as metal foams and cellular metals) are a special class of composite materials, composed of a metal phase and a gaseous phase. The functionality of porous metals derives from the combinations of these two distinct materials, and, in essence, their specific porous structures. Porous metals are produced by a variety of techniques, including foaming, casting, and powder metallurgy. Recent advances in additive manufacturing have added impetus to the field. Porous metals are finding new applications in many sectors, such as aerospace, automotive, construction, and energy, for their unique properties. This Special Issue of Materials intends to cover a wide range of porous metal structures manufactured using different technologies. A special emphasis will be placed on new fabrication methods, novel structures, new properties, and new applications of porous metals.

Prof. Dr. Yuyuan Zhao
Prof. Dr. Huiping Tang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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Keywords

  • porous metals
  • metal foams
  • cellular metals
  • porous structure
  • fabrication methods
  • properties
  • applications

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 3505 KiB  
Article
Enhancing Capillary Pressure of Porous Aluminum Wicks by Controlling Bi-Porous Structure Using Different-Sized NaCl Space Holders
by Hongfei Shen, Asuka Suzuki, Naoki Takata and Makoto Kobashi
Materials 2024, 17(19), 4729; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17194729 - 26 Sep 2024
Viewed by 448
Abstract
Capillary pressure and permeability of porous media are important for heat transfer devices, including loop heat pipes. In general, smaller pore sizes enhance capillary pressure but decrease permeability. Introducing a bi-porous structure is promising for solving this trade-off relation. In this study, the [...] Read more.
Capillary pressure and permeability of porous media are important for heat transfer devices, including loop heat pipes. In general, smaller pore sizes enhance capillary pressure but decrease permeability. Introducing a bi-porous structure is promising for solving this trade-off relation. In this study, the bi-porous aluminum was fabricated by the space holder method using two different-sized NaCl particles (approximately 400 and 40 μm). The capillary pressure and permeability of the bi-porous Al were evaluated and compared with those of mono-porous Al fabricated by the space holder method. Increasing the porosity of the mono-porous Al improved the permeability but reduced the capillary pressure because of better-connected pores and increased effective pore size. The fraction of large and small pores in the bi-porous Al was successfully controlled under a constant porosity of 70%. The capillary pressure of the bi-porous Al with 40% large and 30% small pores was higher than the mono-porous Al with 70% porosity without sacrificing the permeability. However, the bi-porous Al with other fractions of large and small pores did not exhibit properties superior to the mono-porous Al. Thus, accurately controlling the fractions of large and small pores is required to enhance the capillary performance by introducing the bi-porous structure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Porous Metals: Preparation, Microstructure, Properties and Performance)
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20 pages, 8380 KiB  
Article
Friction Investigation of Closed-Cell Aluminium Foam during Radial-Constrained Test
by Jozsef Kertesz and Tünde Anna Kovacs
Materials 2024, 17(13), 3344; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17133344 - 5 Jul 2024
Viewed by 923
Abstract
The energy-absorbing capacity and friction phenomena of different closed-cell aluminium foam-filled Al tube types are investigated through experimental compression tests. Concerning the kind of investigation, free, radial-constrained and friction tests occurred. The radial-constrained compression test results confirm that the process requires significantly more [...] Read more.
The energy-absorbing capacity and friction phenomena of different closed-cell aluminium foam-filled Al tube types are investigated through experimental compression tests. Concerning the kind of investigation, free, radial-constrained and friction tests occurred. The radial-constrained compression test results confirm that the process requires significantly more compression energy than without the constrain. Pushing away different pre-compressed foams inside the aluminium tube, the static and kinematic frictional resistances can be determined and the energy required to move them can be calculated. Knowing the value of the energy required for the frictional resistance, we can obtain how much of the energy surplus in radially inhibited compression is caused by the friction phenomena. The main goal present study is to reveal the magnitude of friction between the foam and the wall of the tube during the radially constrained test. The investigation used 0.4 and 0.7 g/cm3 density closed-cell aluminium foam whilst a compressive test was applied where the force–displacement data were recorded to calculate the absorbed energy due to friction. Considering the results of the test, it can be stated that 18% of the invested energy was used to overcome friction in the case of lighter foam and almost 23% with 0.7 g/cm3 foam during the radial-constrained test. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Porous Metals: Preparation, Microstructure, Properties and Performance)
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10 pages, 3271 KiB  
Article
Effects of the Space Holder Shape on the Pore Structure and Mechanical Properties of Porous Cu with a Wide Porosity Range
by Jian Xiao, Yanping He, Wenjun Ma, Yiheng Yue and Guibao Qiu
Materials 2024, 17(12), 3008; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17123008 - 19 Jun 2024
Viewed by 629
Abstract
Porous copper (Cu), with varying porosities, has been made using carbamide as a space holder through the powder metallurgy route. Two shapes of carbamide particles were used, (i) needlelike and (ii) spherical, in order to investigate the effect of the space holder shape [...] Read more.
Porous copper (Cu), with varying porosities, has been made using carbamide as a space holder through the powder metallurgy route. Two shapes of carbamide particles were used, (i) needlelike and (ii) spherical, in order to investigate the effect of the space holder shape on the pore structure and mechanical properties of porous Cu. The compressive deformation behavior of porous Cu was studied under a compression test. The pores’ structural characteristics and mechanical properties of the porous Cu varied significantly with the shape of the space holder. Although the effect of the space holder shape on the porosity was not regular, the effect on the mechanical properties was regular. The stress increased monotonically with the increase in the strain, and strain hardening occurred at the plastic yield stage. The elastic modulus and yield strength followed the power law, with the relative density irrespective of the space holder shape. The empirical constants associated with different empirically developed power law relations were different, according to the shape of space holder. A quantitative relationship between the elastic modulus and yield strength and the spacer content was obtained to control the mechanical properties of the present porous Cu or other porous metals and metal foams using the well-known space holder method. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Porous Metals: Preparation, Microstructure, Properties and Performance)
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16 pages, 22531 KiB  
Article
Aggregation–Growth and Densification Behavior of Titanium Particles in Molten Mg-MgCl2 System
by Xin Yang, Kaihua Li, Jun Li, Zhuo Sheng and Ying Liu
Materials 2024, 17(12), 2904; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17122904 - 13 Jun 2024
Viewed by 711
Abstract
In this work, the preparation of titanium sponge by magnesium thermal method is regarded as the liquid-phase sintering process of titanium, and powder-metallurgy sintering technology is utilized to simulate the aggregation–growth and densification behavior of titanium particles in a high-temperature liquid medium (the [...] Read more.
In this work, the preparation of titanium sponge by magnesium thermal method is regarded as the liquid-phase sintering process of titanium, and powder-metallurgy sintering technology is utilized to simulate the aggregation–growth and densification behavior of titanium particles in a high-temperature liquid medium (the molten Mg-MgCl2 system). It was found that compared with MgCl2, Mg has better high-temperature wettability and reduction effect, which promotes titanium particles to form a sponge titanium skeleton at lower temperature. The aggregation degree of titanium particles and the densification degree of a sponge titanium skeleton can be improved by increasing the temperature and the relative content of Mg in the melting medium. The kinetics study shows that with the increase in temperature, the porosity of the titanium particle aggregates and the sponge titanium skeleton decreases, and their density growth rate increases. With the extension of time, the aggregation degree of titanium particles and the densification degree of sponge titanium gradually increase. This work provides a theoretical reference for controlling the density of titanium sponge in industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Porous Metals: Preparation, Microstructure, Properties and Performance)
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17 pages, 7021 KiB  
Article
Numerical Study on Fluid Flow Behavior and Heat Transfer Performance of Porous Media Manufactured by a Space Holder Method
by Xianke Lu, Yuyuan Zhao, Yue Zhang and Mian Wu
Materials 2024, 17(11), 2695; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17112695 - 3 Jun 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 887
Abstract
The velocity field and temperature field are crucial for metal foams to be used as a heat exchanger, but they are difficult to obtain through physical experiments. In this work, the fluid flow behavior and heat transfer performance in open-cell metal foam were [...] Read more.
The velocity field and temperature field are crucial for metal foams to be used as a heat exchanger, but they are difficult to obtain through physical experiments. In this work, the fluid flow behavior and heat transfer performance in open-cell metal foam were numerically studied. Porous 3D models with different porosities (55–75%) and pore sizes (250 μm, 550 μm, and 1000 μm) were created based on the porous structure manufactured by the Lost Carbonate Sintering method. A wide flow velocity range from 0.0001 m/s to 0.3 m/s, covering both laminar and turbulent flow regimes, is fully studied for the first time. Pressure drop, heat transfer coefficient, permeability, form drag coefficient, temperature and velocity distributions were calculated. The calculated results agree well with our previous experimental results, indicating that the model works well. The results showed that pressure drop increased with decreasing porosity and increasing pore size. Permeability increased and the form drag coefficient decreased with increasing porosity, and both increased with increasing pore size. The heat transfer coefficient increased with increasing velocity and porosity, whereas it slightly decreased with increasing pore size. The results also showed that at high velocity, only the metal foam close to the heat source contributes to heat dissipation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Porous Metals: Preparation, Microstructure, Properties and Performance)
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14 pages, 17734 KiB  
Article
Energy Absorption Characteristics of Composite Material with Fiber–Foam Metal Sandwich Structure Subjected to Gas Explosion
by Baoyong Zhang, Jin Tao, Jiarui Cui, Yiyu Zhang, Yajun Wang, Yingxin Zhang, Yonghui Han and Man Sun
Materials 2024, 17(7), 1596; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17071596 - 31 Mar 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1148
Abstract
Based on the previous research on the energy absorption of foam metal materials with different structures, a composite blast-resistant energy-absorbing material with a flexible core layer was designed. The material is composed of three different fiber materials (carbon fiber, aramid fiber, and glass [...] Read more.
Based on the previous research on the energy absorption of foam metal materials with different structures, a composite blast-resistant energy-absorbing material with a flexible core layer was designed. The material is composed of three different fiber materials (carbon fiber, aramid fiber, and glass fiber) as the core layer and foamed iron–nickel metal as the front and rear panels. The energy absorption characteristics were tested using a self-built gas explosion tube network experimental platform, and the energy absorption effects of different combinations of blast-resistant materials were analyzed. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the performance of blast-resistant materials designed with flexible fiber core layers. The experimental results show that the composite structure blast-resistant material with a flexible core layer has higher energy absorption performance. The work performed in this paper shows that the use of flexible core layer materials has great research potential and engineering research value for improving energy absorption performance, reducing the mass of blast-resistant materials, and reducing production costs. It also provides thoughts for the research of biomimetic energy-absorbing materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Porous Metals: Preparation, Microstructure, Properties and Performance)
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12 pages, 4102 KiB  
Article
Homogeneous Age-hardening of Large-sized Al-Sc Foams via Micro-alloying with Zr and Ti
by Xuming Chu, Tianze Wang, Donghui Yang, Xiangyang Peng, Shuo Hou, Shuai Chen, Guangyao Lu, Meiyuan Jiao, Yuan Wu, Andrey A. Rempel, Wentao Qu, Hongxiang Li and Hui Wang
Materials 2024, 17(6), 1269; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17061269 - 9 Mar 2024
Viewed by 947
Abstract
Al-based foams have drawn increasing attention from industry due to their integration of structure and functional properties. However, large-sized Al-based foams still cannot be homogeneously strengthened by long-time aging due to their low thermal conductivity. In this study, we proposed an age-hardening approach [...] Read more.
Al-based foams have drawn increasing attention from industry due to their integration of structure and functional properties. However, large-sized Al-based foams still cannot be homogeneously strengthened by long-time aging due to their low thermal conductivity. In this study, we proposed an age-hardening approach that was applied in large-sized Al-0.16Sc-0.17Zr (wt.%) foams via micro-alloying with Zr and Ti compared with Al-0.21Sc foams; it not only achieved homogeneous strength by long-term aging but also reduced the cost of the alloy by substituting Zr and Ti for the more expensive Sc content. The results show that the Al3(Sc, Zr, Ti) phase with a core–shell structure as a crucial precipitation strengthening phase by micro-alloying with Zr and Ti was less prone to coarsening after a prolonged aging heat treatment. Therefore, the yielding strength of Al-Sc foam micro-alloying with Zr and Ti remained almost unchanged after a maximum aging time of 1440 h due to less coarsening precipitate, which is consistent with the results of mechanical experiments. These findings provide a new way for the heat treatment strengthening of large-sized Al-based foams, thus promoting their industrial applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Porous Metals: Preparation, Microstructure, Properties and Performance)
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