Feasibility Study on the Generation of Nanoporous Metal Structures by Means of Selective Alloy Depletion in Halogen-Rich Atmospheres.

A new approach to produce nanoporous metals has been investigated, which is based on the dealloying of bi- or multi-component alloys. Depletion and pore formation of the alloy substrate are obtained by the transport of certain alloy components at high temperatures via volatile halogen compounds. These halogen compounds are transferred to materials acting as sinks based on their higher affinity to the respective components, and chemically bound there.