The current issue of the MRS Bulletin features articles on dealloyed nanoporous materials. Dealloyed materials are research interests of both department chair and professor Jonah Erlebacher, and professor Mingwei Chen, who have articles in the issue.
Professor Erlebacher’s paper, titled Pattern formation during electrochemical and liquid metal dealloying, discusses the differences between electrochemical dealloying and liquid metal dealloying. The researchers conclude that while the two processes require different experimental methodologies, they do “briefly overlap at processing extremes”. The liquid metal dealloying becomes very similar to electrochemical dealloying at low homologous temperatures and electrochemical dealloying is comparable to liquid metal dealloying at high dissolution rates.
Professor Chen’s paper – Nanoporous metal by dealloying for electrochemical energy conversion and storage– reviews the characteristics of dealloyed materials related to their functions in energy devices. The researchers also discuss “nanoporous metal electrodes for applications in fuel cells, supercapacitors, and batteries to provide insights into selection and design criteria for meeting the diverse needs of energy conversion and storage”.