Publications

Solid State Porous Metal Production: A Review of the Capabilities, Characteristics, and Challenges

Faculty Author(s): Atwater, Mark A.
Student Author(s): -
Department: AEST
Publication: Advanced Engineering Materials
Year: 2018
Abstract: To purchase or authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adem.201700766/abstract Byline: Mark A. Atwater, Laura N. Guevara, Kris A. Darling, Mark A. Tschopp Porous metals have been under development for nearly a century, but commercial adoption remains limited. This development has followed two primary routes: liquid state or solid state processing. Liquid state foaming introduces porosity to a liquid or semi-solid metal, and solid state foaming introduces porosity to a metal, which is fully solid. Either method may create pores by internal gas pressure or introducing metal around a template directly control porosity. Process optimization and commercial output has been primarily related to liquid state methods, as solid state processing is often more complex, diverse, and with lower throughput. Solid state methods, however, are often more versatile and offer greater control of pore characteristics. Ongoing advancements in solid state foaming have allowed for a wide array of metals and alloys to be made porous and the three-dimensional structure to be precisely tailored. In general, solid state processing remains limited to niche applications, often with modest dimensions (cm scale). "Traditional" solid state processes are being further refined and extended, and continuing developments to reduce cost, increase output, and control pore characteristics are likely to produce important advancements in coming years. The extensive variability of pore quantity and morphology makes solid state processes suitable, and often preferable, for an assortment of functional and structural applications, with electrodes and biomedical devices being among the most popular in current research. Various techniques for introducing porosity, the way these methods are applied, important considerations, typical outcomes, and current applications are reviewed. Biographical information: Dr. Mark A. Atwater holds degrees in manufacturing (B.S.), mechanical (M.S.), and materials engineering (Ph.D.) and is currently an Associate Professor of Manufacturing and Materials in the department of Applied Engineering, Safety & Technology at Millersville University. Research interests include the synthesis and applications of nanofibrous carbon, development of porous metals and alloys, and the way nanostructured materials can benefit these endeavors. Scaling up the production of nanomaterials is also a key interest. Dr. Kris A. Darling completed his bachelors, masters and PhD from the North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA under the guidance of Carl Koch and Ron Scattergood. He completed his PhD in 2009 and joined as a postdoctoral fellow at the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) MD where in 2010 he became a permanent staff member. Interests: Fundamental processing-microstructure-property relationships in novel structural metals, with particular emphasis on the unique properties that emerge at the nanoscale. Dr. Mark A. Tschopp is the Regional Lead for ARL Central at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, having previously been a materials engineer, team leader, and branch chief in the Weapons and Materials Research Directorate. His primary research interests lie in integrating computational and experimental techniques to design materials for lightweight vehicle applications, soldier protection systems, and lethality applications in support of the warfighter and the mission of the U.S. Army. He was appointed as an ASME Fellow in 2017.
Link: Solid State Porous Metal Production: A Review of the Capabilities, Characteristics, and Challenges