Highly Porous Open Cell Nickel Cobalt Foam
Introduction
- Nickel cobalt foam is a 3D porous metal material with extremely high surface area, excellent electrical conductivity and strong corrosion resistance. Its open‑cell structure provides abundant active sites and fast electron/ion transport channels, making it ideal as a current collector or active substrate in batteries, supercapacitors, fuel cells and hydrogen production systems. The material can be easily cut, shaped and coated to fit different industrial and laboratory applications.
- This nickel cobalt foam offers uniform pore distribution, good mechanical strength and outstanding stability in alkaline environments. It is widely used for electrocatalysts (OER/HER), nickel‑metal hydride batteries, electroplating substrates, and various electrochemical tests. Suitable for R&D, pilot production and mass manufacturing, it helps improve energy density, reduce internal resistance, and enhance the overall performance and lifetime of electrochemical devices.
Specifications
| Type | Open‑cell Ni‑Co alloy foam / nickel‑cobalt porous metal foam |
| Purity / Alloy Base | Ni‑Co alloy system (typically Ni as main component with Co as alloying element; optional trace elements to adjust mechanical strength, corrosion resistance and catalytic activity, depending on specific grade) |
| Form | Sheet, plate, strip, roll, or custom‑cut blocks/parts; can be supplied as bare foam or with surface treatment / active coating (e.g. Ni/Co hydroxides, oxides, or other catalysts) |
| Cell Size (PPI) | Commonly 10–110 PPI (pores per inch), with coarse (10–30 PPI), medium (30–60 PPI) and fine (60–110 PPI) structures; special pore sizes available on request |
| Thickness | Standard about 0.5–5 mm for most electrode substrates; thicker types up to ~20 mm can be customized for filters, catalyst supports and structural applications |
| Size & Shape | Typical sheets such as 100 × 100 mm, 200 × 300 mm, 300 × 500 mm; can be cut, punched, stamped, rolled, or formed into cylinders, discs, strips, and complex shapes according to customer drawings |
| Porosity | Approx. 90% – 98% (highly porous 3D network); exact value depends on PPI, density and manufacturing process |
| Open Cell Rate | Usually ≥ 95% open‑cell interconnected structure, providing continuous channels for gas/liquid flow and ion/electron transport |
| Volume Density | Typically about 0.15–0.8 g/cm³ (adjustable via porosity, PPI and alloy composition), much lower than bulk nickel/cobalt while maintaining metallic conductivity |
| Surface Density | Approx. 150–4500 g/m² depending on thickness, porosity and density; lighter foams for high‑power electrodes, heavier foams for high‑capacity and structural use |
| Specific Surface Area | Large effective surface area due to 3D skeleton (commonly several hundred to several thousand m²/m³, depending on pore size and structure), ideal for electrochemical reactions and catalysis |
| Thermal Conductivity (Effective) | Effective thermal conductivity typically around 1–15 W/m·K (reduced compared with bulk Ni/Co due to high porosity), still suitable for heat dissipation and thermal management in electrochemical systems |
| Electrical Conductivity | Good metallic conductivity; bulk Ni‑Co alloys ~10⁶ S/m level, effective conductivity reduced by porosity but remains suitable for use as current collectors, high‑power electrodes and catalyst supports in batteries, supercapacitors and electrolyzers |
| Mechanical Strength (Compressive) | Compressive strength typically about 1–8 MPa for common electrode‑grade foams (varies with density, PPI and alloy composition); higher density foams show higher strength and stiffness |
| Average Tensile Strength (N/20 mm) | For thin and medium‑density strips: vertical ≥ 15 N/20 mm, horizontal ≥ 10 N/20 mm (reference values; actual data depend on product thickness, porosity and processing) |
| Temperature Resistance | Suitable for long‑term use in alkaline and neutral electrochemical environments at typical operating temperatures (room temperature to ~80–120 ℃); in inert or mild oxidizing atmospheres, Ni‑Co alloy foam can generally withstand several hundred degrees Celsius (exact limit depends on alloy composition and environment) |
| Appearance | Metallic gray to dark gray Ni‑Co surface, uniform color, with 3D sponge‑like structure; surface without obvious defects such as large blind holes, severe cracks, heavy oxide scale flaking or severe deformation; can be supplied degreased or activated for electrochemical use |
| Chemical Composition | Ni‑Co multi‑component alloy; Ni provides basic conductivity, corrosion resistance and mechanical strength, while Co improves electrocatalytic activity (e.g. OER/HER), mechanical properties and stability; detailed composition according to specific grade or customer requirements |
| Corrosion & Alkali Resistance | Good corrosion resistance in alkaline electrolytes (e.g. KOH, NaOH) and many neutral aqueous solutions; commonly used as a substrate for nickel / cobalt hydroxide or oxide active materials in alkaline batteries, supercapacitors and water‑electrolysis electrodes; not recommended for strong acids, strong oxidizing acids or highly aggressive halide environments without additional protection |
| Flexibility | Thin and medium‑porosity Ni‑Co foam sheets have certain flexibility and can be slightly bent, rolled or compressed; stiffness increases with thickness and density. Excessive repeated bending may cause local fracture of the foam skeleton |
| Elongation Rate (%) | Typically low compared with fully dense ductile alloys; for thin, high‑porosity foams, elongation is usually a few percent level (reference: ~2–5% depending on structure and direction) |
| Processability | Can be cut, punched, welded, spot‑welded, laser‑cut or coated by electrodeposition, chemical deposition, dip‑coating and spraying; easy to combine with various active materials for electrodes and catalysts |
| Surface Treatment / Coating (Optional) | Can be supplied with nickel / cobalt hydroxide, nickel‑cobalt oxide, Ni‑Fe / Ni‑Co‑Fe catalysts, precious metals, or other functional coatings to enhance capacity, catalytic activity or corrosion resistance |
| Typical Electrochemical Applications | Substrates / current collectors for Ni‑MH batteries, alkaline batteries, Ni‑Zn batteries, and some Li‑ion / Li‑S composite electrodes; high‑power supercapacitor electrodes; oxygen evolution (OER) and hydrogen evolution (HER) electrocatalyst supports in alkaline water electrolysis; electrodes for metal plating, electro‑oxidation, electro‑reduction and other electrochemical processes |
| Other Applications | Catalyst supports in fuel cells and electrochemical reactors, porous current collectors for hybrid energy storage, conductive 3D scaffolds for sensors, gas diffusion and fluid distribution structures where high surface area and conductivity are required |
| Main Features & Advantages | High porosity and large surface area for improved reaction area and loading of active materials; excellent metallic conductivity and low internal resistance; 3D interconnected structure for efficient mass transfer and gas release; good mechanical stability in alkaline environments; can significantly enhance energy density, power density and cycle life of electrochemical devices compared with traditional flat metal substrates |
Dimension (Thickness* Length*Width)
| 0.08mm*300mm*200mm | 0.2mm*200mm*300mm | 0.3mm*200mm*300mm |
| 0.5mm*200mm*300mm | 0.7mm*200mm*300mm | 0.9mm*200mm*300mm |
| 1.0mm*200mm*300mm | 1.3mm*200mm*300mm | 1.5mm*200mm*300mm |
| 1.7mm*200mm*300mm | 2.0mm*200mm*300mm | 5mm*200mm*300mm |
| 10mm*200mm*300mm | 30mm*200mm*300mm | The size can be customized |
To customize various metal foams, please click the picture below for details：
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