Porous metals consist of a metal framework intertwined with pores, possessing fundamental properties of regular metals like weldability. However, what sets porous metals apart from dense materials is the abundance of internal pores, giving rise to the term "porous gold."
Metallic materials exhibit numerous remarkable qualities, including low weight, extensive surface area, efficient energy absorption, low thermal conductivity (in closed cell structures), high heat exchange and dissipation capabilities (in through-hole structures), effective sound absorption (in through-hole structures), exceptional permeability (in through-hole structures), effective electromagnetic wave absorption (in through-hole structures), flame and heat resistance, thermal shock resistance, gas sensitivity (as certain porous metals are highly responsive to specific gases), regenerative capabilities, and excellent processability.
Porous organic polymers lack strength and high-temperature resistance, while porous ceramics are brittle and vulnerable to thermal shocks. Hence, porous metal materials find wide-ranging applications in aerospace, atomic energy, electrochemistry, petrochemicals, metallurgy, machinery, medicine, environmental protection, and other industries. They are employed as filters, catalysts and catalyst carriers, porous electrodes, energy absorbers, silencers, shock absorbers, heat exchangers, flame retardants, and in various processes involving separation, filtration, gas distribution, catalysis, electrochemistry, noise reduction, shock absorption, shielding, and construction.
Furthermore, they can be utilized to produce a variety of composite materials and fillers. Porous metals serve not only as functional materials in numerous scenarios but also as structural materials in certain cases. Overall, they possess both functional and structural characteristics, making them versatile engineering materials with exceptional performance.
