Laboratory study reports vacuum-deposited Ni–Cr alloy foam properties

Vacuum evaporation of chromium onto pure nickel foam produced a porous Ni–Cr alloy material whose chromium content, elemental distribution, compressive behavior and oxidation performance were investigated in a laboratory study. The resulting foam had filament diameters of approximately 60–130 μm and pore sizes of 200–330 μm. At an evaporation temperature of 1,100 °C and a deposition time of 1 hour, the material contained about 22.9 wt% chromium and reached a compressive strength of 5.5 MPa at a strain of 0.35 without fracture.

The researchers examined the effects of two processing variables: evaporation temperature and evaporation time. Across the tested conditions, increasing either the temperature or the duration significantly increased chromium deposition and improved the uniformity of the elemental distribution within the foam. The reported values for filament diameter, pore size and chromium content characterize the prepared material, while the accessible study report does not specify the full experimental matrix or the analytical methods used to quantify composition and microstructure.

Compression testing indicated that the chromium-bearing foam sustained deformation without breaking under the reported conditions. The specimen prepared at 1,100 °C for 1 hour achieved the cited compressive strength of 5.5 MPa at a strain of 0.35, with no fracture observed. These results describe the tested laboratory specimens and loading conditions; the supplied evidence does not establish performance across different densities, treatments or repeated loading cycles, nor does it provide a comparison with the original nickel foam.

Oxidation testing placed the material’s reported oxidation rates at 71.6 mg/(m2·h) at 600 °C, 79.2 mg/(m2·h) at 700 °C and 171.0 mg/(m2·h) at 800 °C. The researchers characterized the Ni–Cr alloy foam as showing good oxidation resistance and developed it with high-temperature filters as the intended application. However, the available report does not state the oxidation-test duration, specimen mass, furnace atmosphere or comparative results for uncoated nickel foam or other filter materials. Within the reported laboratory scope, the study shows that vacuum evaporation deposition can alloy pure nickel foam with chromium, provide controllable composition and retain a porous structure with measurable compressive strength and high-temperature oxidation performance.

Subject of Research: Laboratory evaluation of vacuum-deposited Ni–Cr alloy foam made from pure nickel foam

Article Title: Preparation of Ni–Cr alloy foam by vacuum evaporation deposition from pure nickel foam

Article References: Lin, T., Sun, Y., Wang, B., & Shao, H. (2026). Preparation of Ni–Cr alloy foam by vacuum evaporation deposition from pure nickel foam. Journal of Materials Science, 61(41), 32064-32075. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-026-13660-5

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s10853-026-13660-5

Keywords: Ni–Cr alloy foam, nickel foam, chromium deposition, vacuum evaporation, porous metals, high-temperature oxidation, compressive strength, materials processing, metallic filters, Preparation, alloy, foam