Nanoporous metals from thermal decomposition of transition metal dichalcogenides

• Published in: Acta materialia Vol. 184; pp. 79 - 85
• Main Authors: Chatterjee, Swarnendu, Anikin, Anton, Ghoshal, Debjit, Hart, James L., Li, Yawei, Intikhab, Saad, Chareev, D.A., Volkova, O.S., Vasiliev, A.N., Taheri, Mitra L., Koratkar, Nikhil, Karapetrov, Goran, Snyder, Joshua
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2020
• Subjects: Dealloying; Nanoporosity; Nanoporous metal; Transition metal dichalcogenides; Nanoporous metal; Transition metal dichalcogenides; Dealloying; Nanoporosity
• ISSN: 1359-6454; 1873-2453
• DOI: 10.1016/j.actamat.2019.11.018

Nanoporous metals (np-M) have emerged as promising materials owing to their high surface area-to-volume ratio and electrical/thermal conductivity. There exists a group of processing methodologies by which np-M are formed through a top-down nanostructure evolution driven by the selective removal of a sacrificial component, all of which are a variation of dealloying. Nanoporosity evolution through current dealloying methodologies, however, is governed by strict requirements including sufficient separation in “reactivity” of the participating components and a homogeneous solid solution precursor alloy. This limits the viable alloy systems that may be used and the range of np-M's that may be formed. Here, we report thermal decomposition of crystalline transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) as a new processing methodology for np-M formation, adding to the spectrum of dealloying protocols. We demonstrate application of this process to the formation of a broader class of np-M including W, Re, Mo, and Ta with feature sizes below 100 nm. The presented facile thermal treatment of TMDs offers a new methodology for the evolution of nanoporosity in a broad range of metals. [Display omitted]