Porous Metals with Directional Pores

This book reviews the recent development of fabrication methods and various properties of lotus-type porous metals and their applications. The nucleation and growth mechanism of the directional pores in metals are discussed in comparison with a model experiment of carbon dioxide pores in ice. Three casting techniques are introduced to produce not only metals and alloys but also intermetallic compounds, semiconductors, and ceramics: mold casting, continuous zone melting, and continuous casting. The latter has merits for mass production of lotus metals to control porosity, pore size and pore direction. Furthermore, anisotropic behavior of elastic, mechanical properties, thermal and electrical conductivity, magnetic properties, and biocompatibility are introduced as peculiar features of lotus metals.

Hideo Nakajima received his Bachelor's degree in 1971 and Ph.D. from Tohoku University in 1977. Then, he was a postdoctoral associate at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, USA until 1980. For 1980 to 1992, he was an assistant and associate professor at Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University. In 1992 he moved to Iwate University as a professor. Since 1996, he had been a professor of Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Osaka University. He has been the director of the Wakasa Wan Energy Research Center at Tsuruga in Fukui Prefecture since 2012, and is an emeritus professor of Osaka University.

His research interests focus on fabrication, properties, and application of porous metals. He was awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 2009 by the Emperor of Japan.