Abstract
Nanoporous metallic foams with high surface area and novel functional behavior are positioned to stimulate new multifunctional and metamaterial applications. However, there are fundamental challenges in achieving uniform nanopores and tailorable morphology. Emerging templating methods offer a wide range of applicable metallic species while enhancing control of pore morphology, uniformity, and interconnectivity. Here, a critical review of nanoporous metal fabrication is presented, with focus on templating methods utilizing nanoporous polymeric templates. Metals are introduced into percolative nanochannels of sacrificial templates by deposition, and subsequent removal of templates yields ordered nanoporous metals. We introduce approaches for preparing nanoporous templates, including utilizing block copolymer self-assembly that yields periodic gyroid networks. While metallization of templates by electrodeposition has been demonstrated, electroless deposition permits uniform deposition by many metallic species and infiltration of narrow pores. Examples of nanoporous metals with uniform pore sizes below 50 nm fabricated by templating methods are examined.
Highlights
Nanoporous metals (NPMs) containing a network of nanoscale pores provide an attractive combination of physical and mechanical properties afforded to them by their nanostructures
As the nanostructural form of the final nanoporous metal is largely determined by the pore dimensions and morphology of the template, template synthesis plays a pivotal role in the process
We present a critical review of nanoporous metal fabrication
Summary
Nanoporous metals (NPMs) containing a network of nanoscale pores provide an attractive combination of physical and mechanical properties afforded to them by their nanostructures. The synthesis of highly ordered, nanostructured porous metallic materials represents an important area of contemporary exploration. While methods for the fabrication of nanoporous metals have proliferated over the last two decades, many yield metals with inhomogeneous pore dimensions and are not generalizable to a large majority of metallic species.
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