Compressive behavior and connecting topology of monolithic nanoporous niobium

• Published in: Materials Research Letters
• Main Authors: Seoyun Sohn, Shan Shi, Jürgen Markmann, Stefan Alexander Berger, Jörg Weissmüller
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-01-01
• Subjects: Dealloying; nanoporous; niobium; mechanical behavior; tomography
• Online Access: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/21663831.2024.2421867

With an eye on the role of structure size and topology, this study explores the mechanical behavior of nanoporous (NP) Nb made by liquid-metal dealloying. Results from X-ray nanotomography and macro-compression tests confirm that coarsening degrades the yield strength and that Young's modulus deviates from scaling laws developed for NP Au made by dealloying in aqueous media. We find that the scaled genus of NP Nb is lower than what has been reported for NP Au, and this low connectivity provides an obvious explanation for the low modulus. Furthermore, the structural dispersion implies that additional structural descriptors should be acknowledged.