Preparation of nanoporous Ni and Ni–Cu by dealloying of rolled Ni–Mn and Ni–Cu–Mn alloys

Abstract

Nanoporous Ni, Ni–Cu and Cu with ligament sizes of 10–20 nm were fabricated by dealloying rolled Ni–Mn, Cu–Ni–Mn and Cu–Mn alloys, respectively. Unlike conventional Raney nickel composed of brittle Ni–Al intermetallic compounds, the initial alloys had good workability. Ni and Cu atoms formed a homogeneous solid solution in the nanoporous architecture. The ligament sizes of nanoporous Ni and Ni–Cu were smaller than that of nanoporous Cu, reflecting the difference between the surface diffusivities of Ni and Cu.