Influence of composition on dealloying of Mn-Cu alloys

Nanoporous copper with bicontinuous ligament structures can be synthesized by free corrosion dealloying in dilute HCl solution with arc melted Mn-Cu alloys. The effect of initial alloy composition on micromorphology of nanoporous Cu and residual Mn atom fraction is investigated. The results indicate that, for alloys with Cu of more than 43% atom fraction, the dissolution of Mn is limited, leaving islands of retained Mn-Cu alloys. Bicontinuous ligament structures can be obtained as the initial Cu atom fraction decreases from 32% down to 23%. The ligaments of size from 20 to 100 nm and the nanopore of size from 30 to 80 nm can be tailored by controlling the initial alloy composition. However, the copper ligaments become large nanoparticles as the initial Cu atom fraction is below 20% and man