An assessment of the process of Self-propagating High-Temperature Synthesis for the fabrication of porous copper composite

The present article describes the process of Self-propagating High-temperature Synthesis (SHS) that is employed for fabricating open cell copper–alumina composite foam. This foam was fabricated by the reactions between the powders of CuO, Al and C. The gas released during these reactions as well as the initial porosity of the green powder compact were suggested to be the sources of the produced pores. Further, the effect of C content and the precursor compressing pressure on the porosity content and morphology of the SHS product was determined. Optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were utilized to characterize the porous samples. The optimum weight fractions for blending the initial powders were determined to be 84 wt.% CuO, 9.5 wt.% Al, and 6.5 wt.% C, and the SHS reaction was sustainable only if the initial compacting pressure of the powders was between 100 and 300 MPa.