An in situ nano tomography study of pore topology evolution during oxide metallization

As a continuation of project MA-6182, we propose in situ three-dimensional investigation of pore topology and phase constitution evolution during oxide metallization. With the aim of achieving bulk metallic alloys with customizable sub-micron porosity and phase constitution, we have recently developed a redox reaction-driven oxide metallization approach that combines pore creation and microstructural design into one single solid-state process step. We propose that this new synthesis paradigm is sustainable in its nature, producing only H2O as a byproduct, while also addressing three outstanding challenges in classical porous bulk alloy synthesis, including (i) the pronounced structural coarsening tendency; (ii) the sluggish pore formation kinetics; and (iii) the insufficient microstructural tunability. The synthesized bulk porous alloys are also expected to unlock appealing opportunities in extending the mechanical/functional property limits of their fully densified counterparts.