Well-Ordered Nanoporous Copper Fabricated by Dealloying Cu-Mn and its Characterizations

A nanoporous copper (NPC) sample with well-ordered porosity of 20 nm was fabricated by an electrochemical dealloying single-phase Cu0.4Mn0.6 with an external potential of-0.5 V (MSE). The electrochemical mechanism of the dealloying process on the Cu-Mn surface was studied by a liner sweep voltammetry experiment, and an optimized applied voltage for the Cu-Mn system was recommended. The properties of the monolithic NPC, including morphology, chemical composition, surface area and wettability were systematically characterized. The specific surface area around 11.86 m2/g of the as-dealloyed NPC was measured by BET-nitrogen method. The micro/nanoscale bi-continuous 3D porous structures of NPC not only increase the surface area, but also improve the wettability of NPC surface since the increase in surface roughness.