Mechanical and thermal properties of copper inverse opals for two-phase convection enhancement

Nanoengineered structures have received significant attention due to the application of porous media convection structures. Metal porous structures provide unique combinations of large surface to volume ratio, high conductivity, and mechanical compliance. The integration of metal porous structures can improve the performance of convective heat exchangers for high heat flux thermal management. Copper inverse opals (CIOs) are more attractive because their geometry can be precisely controlled and determined at the pore level. This study reports a combination of experiments, simulations, and analytical models to understand the mechanical and thermal properties of CIOs coupled with structural information. Detailed image analysis to quantify the porosity and pore geometry is followed. The mechanical modulus and thermal conductivity of CIOs show a strong dependence on the porosity. The mechanical compliance of 20-50 GPa and high thermal conductivity of ~100 W/mK are promising for a variety of applications including microchannels applications.