Poring over greener materials

Scientists have developed an environmentally friendly method for making nanoporous materials for use in a range of applications

Nanoporous metals made through a technique called dealloying, which uses corrosion processes to selectively remove a component from an alloy, have attracted considerable attention because of their high electrical and thermal conductivity. However, this method can only be used for a limited number of alloys, and generates waste with a high environmental toll.

Led by researchers from the Advanced Institute for Materials Research (AIMR) in Japan, a team of scientists has now used a technique called vapour-phase dealloying that utilises the vapour pressure difference between solid elements to selectively evaporate a component from an alloy without producing any waste.

The work could lead to new materials for use in a range of applications from catalysts and biosensors to energy conversion and storage technologies.

This article was first published by Springer Nature. Read the original article athttps://www.natureindex.com/article/10.1038/s41467-017-02167-y .

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