Morphology, Transport, and Dynamics of Protein Adsorption in Open‐Cell Metal Foam

Open‐cell metal foams offer interconnected porosity, high accessible surface area, and mechanical robustness for flow‐through bioseparation. This study determines how X‐ray computed tomography (CT)‐based pore architecture governs pressure drop and protein adsorption in 316L stainless steel (SS) foam under convective flow. An integrated framework combines scanning electron microscopy, CT reconstruction, computational fluid dynamics, discrete phase model (DPM) simulations, and analytical geometry optimization. CT‐based computer‐aided design model predicts pressure drop within 6.15% of experiments over superficial velocity range of 0.0034–0.034 cm/s. Dynamic adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA) at 1.5 mL/min yields an areal binding capacity of 5.55 ± 0.23 mg/m 2 and 31.66% retained mass fraction, normalized to 0.249 m 2 CT‐based internal surface area, exceeding every reported static and dynamic BSA adsorption value on 316L SS and chromium oxide (Cr 2 O 3 ) surfaces. Protein adsorption proceeds through hydrophobic and van der Waals interactions due to negative charges of both BSA and Cr 2 O 3 at pH 7.4. DPM simulations established 36.3% surface‐contact fraction, equivalent to 6.37 mg/m 2 as an upper bound, assuming permanent binding at every contact. Analytical prediction models mapping pore diameter and sample thickness optimize foam geometries reaching 95% capture fraction target, defining geometric design space for efficient protein binding with minimal pressure drops.