A Novel Packing Hollow Dodecahedron Model to Study the Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Stocastic Metallic Foams

Stochastic foam with hierarchy order pore structure possesses distinguished physical properties such as high strength to weight ratio, super lightweight, and extremely large specific area. These exceptional properties make stochastic foam as a competitive material for versatile applications e.g., heat exchangers, battery electrodes, automotive components, magnetic shielding, catalyst devices and etc. Recently, the more advanced hollow cellular (shellular) architectures with well-developed structure connections are studied and expected to surpass the solid micro/nanolattices. However, in terms of theoretical predicting and studying of the cellular foam architecture, currently no systematic model can be utilized to accurately capture both of its mechanical and thermal properties especially with hollow struts due to complexity induced by its stochastic and highly reticulate nature. Herein, for the first time, a novel packing three-dimensional (3D) hollow dodecahedron (HPD) model is proposed to simulate the cellular architecture. An electrochemical deposition process is utilized to manufacture the metallic foam with hollow struts. Mechanical and thermal testing of the as-manufactured foams are carried out to compare with the HPD model. HPD model is proved to accurately capture both the topology and the physical properties of stochastic foam at the similar relative density. Particularly, the proposed model makes it possible to readily access and track the physical behavior of stochastic foam architecture. Accordingly, this work will also offer inspiration for designing an efficient foam for specific applications.