Fabrication and analysis of the mechanical properties of sandwich-type NPC composites by electroless plating NPC

Abstract

A thin layer of copper (40–70 μm) was deposited on the surface of a nanoporous copper (NPC) matrix via a chemical deposition method that utilized the catalytic activity of the NPC itself to fabricate a new sandwich-type NPC (ST NPC) composite material. The effects of NPC aperture, chemical deposition time, and heat treatment on the mechanical properties of the ST NPC were studied. The results showed that an NPC matrix aperture of 150–160 nm helps to improve the mechanical properties of the sandwich-type NPC. On changing the deposition time, although the deposition thickness increases with the increase of time, the mechanical parameters of ST NPC become unstable because the deposited layer peels off from the surface of substrate NPC. Heat treatment greatly improved the interfacial adhesion between the panel and the interior pores, thus greatly improving the mechanical properties of the ST NPC. Besides mechanical properties, the thermal stability and corrosion resistance of the ST NPC were superior to those of the NPC substrate. However, catalytic performance of ST NPC was reduced owing to the as-obtained deposition layer, which increased the pore wall and decreased the porosity.