Development of Nanoporous Copper Foams by Chemical Dealloying of Mechanically Alloyed Al–Cu Compounds

We developed open-cell copper foams with uniformly distributed nanopores by chemical dealloying of Al2Cu samples that were synthesized by a powder process. High-energy ball-milling was utilized for mechanical alloying of aluminum and copper powders and either hot rolling or hot pressing was then employed to consolidate the ball-milled powders into sheets or pellets. Subsequent dealloying aluminum from the samples produced nanoporous copper foams. X-ray diffractometry and scanning electron microscopy confirmed the uniform formation of Al2Cu and aluminum phases prior to dealloying, and the introduction of nanoporous structures after dealloying.