Metal Foams (Cu/Ni/Al/PE)

Nickel Foam is a low density permeable material that has a very high porosity with typically 75-95% of the volume consisting of void spaces. Nickel Foam has a wide variety of applications in heat exchangers, energy absorption, flow diffusion, lightweight optics and is used as a filter material for gases and liquids. Also, the high quality nickel foam is used for the rechargeable battery applications.

Nickel Foam Metal foam is a cellular structure consisting of a solid metal (frequently aluminum) with gas-filled pores comprising a large portion of the volume. The pores can be sealed (closed-cell foam) or interconnected (open-cell foam). The defining characteristic of nickel foams is a high porosity: typically only 5–25% of the volume is the base metal i.e nickel.  The strength of the material is due to the square-cube law. Nickel foams typically retain some physical properties . These Foams are made from non-flammable and can be recycled. Its coefficient of thermal expansion is similar while thermal conductivity is likely reduced.

The Ni Foam is Ultra light (75–95% of the volume consists of void spaces) with very high porosity. It has high compression strengths combined with good energy absorption characteristics. The thermal conductivity is low and strength is high.

Nickel Foam can be mass produced in a continuous process in which a coating of nickel is applied by electroplating or chemical vapor deposition onto a reticulated polymer substrate, usually made from polyurethane foam. The plastic former is then burnt out using a high temperature sintering step, resulting in an open-cell skeletal structure of hollow metal limbs. This open-cell nickel foam is very attractive due to its high porosity, high mechanical strength, high specific surface area, low density, corrosion resistance and good electrical conductivity.

Ni Foam have been used in battery applications as a substrate for pasted nickel electrodes. More recently, the deposition of coatings onto nickel foams has been shown to increase their oxidation resistance or their catalytic activity in diverse chemical processes. Deposition techniques including electro deposition, electro less deposition and impregnation methods followed by thermal treatment have all been demonstrated with nickel foam. Nickel foam combined with CNTs is used for the pressure for measurements to check stress/ pressure sensor.