A Method for Fabricating Stainless Steel Pellets with Open-Cell Porosity by Alkaline Leaching of Silica Template

Abstract

A method of fabricating stainless steel pellets with open-cell porosity is presented in the context of producing metallic analogs of biological materials. Powder metallurgy approach is employed by mixing powders of food grade AISI 316L stainless steel and silica. After sintering, the spacer is removed by alkaline leaching. The resulting metal framework has interconnected porosity, low apparent density (≈1.91 g cm−3) and yield strength from 4.2 to 220 MPa. The effects of initial silica content (between 20 and 60 vol%) and silica particle size (small 0.–10 µm, medium 110 µm, and large 170–630 µm) on the resulting structural and mechanical properties are studied.