Structural, Electrical, and Mechanical Properties Investigation of Open-Cell Aluminum Foams Obtained by Spark Plasma Sintering and Replication on Polyurethane Template.

Alexandra Kosenko,Pavel Novikov,Konstantin Pushnitsa,Artem Kim,Anatoliy A Popovich

doi:10.3390/ma15030931

Alexandra Kosenko, Pavel Novikov + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15030931

Copy DOI

Abstract

The present paper illustrates a comparison of open-cell aluminum foams. The foams were fabricated by two different methods: spark plasma sintering and replication on a polyurethane template. The influence of pressure, temperature, and diameter of space holding material on foam obtained by the spark plasma sintering method was investigated. Additionally, the aluminum powder content in slurry and atmosphere during thermal processing of foam prepared by the replication technique were studied. The morphology and structure of obtained samples were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. Supplementarily, mechanical properties and electrical conductivity were studied. The porosity of obtained samples was 83% for the SPS sample and 85% for the replication sample. The results of the studies carried out gave us an understanding that the SPS method is more promising for using the obtained foams as cathode current collectors in lithium-ion batteries due to excessive aluminum oxidation during sintering in the furnace.

Highlights

IntroductionMetal foams are currently a special class of lightweight materials that can be used in various fields of the industry due to their physical, chemical, and mechanical properties [1,2,3]
Academic Editors: Marc Cretin andMetal foams are currently a special class of lightweight materials that can be used in various fields of the industry due to their physical, chemical, and mechanical properties [1,2,3]
Open-cell aluminum foams were successfully obtained by two various methods: spark plasma sintering and replication on polyurethane template

Summary

Introduction

Metal foams are currently a special class of lightweight materials that can be used in various fields of the industry due to their physical, chemical, and mechanical properties [1,2,3]. Metal foam might be able to substitute a variety of conventional materials It is used in a wide range of engineering applications. This fact allows applying these materials in various fields such as automobiles, aerospace, and naval industries [3]. Due to the lightweight nature of this type of material, metal foam is an extremely promising material for the automotive industry; in particular, open-cell foams made of aluminum and Al alloys are of special interest. Remarkable properties of open-cell aluminum foam such as low density, high specific electrical and thermal conductivity, and high surface area allow to be applied as a component of the lithium-ion battery, to use aluminum foam instead of aluminum foil as cathode current collectors [8,9,10,11]

Methods

Results

Conclusion