Nickel foam air filter

Nickel foam can be useful as a filter material due to its homogeneous 3D structure and specific porosity. It can also be used as a hydrogen storage medium, a heat exchange medium and in the arts due to its unique shaping capabilities, wide porosity range and environmental stability. Due to its magnetic properties, it could be used as a magnetic flux conductor to handle magnetic nanoparticles in a fluid. The industrial metal foam can be used as a filter material for processing magnetic particles in a fluid magnetic conductor. Other applications include hydrogen storage and heat exchange media.

Nickel foam air filter applications have potential as a heterogeneous catalyst for automotive catalytic converters and catalytic combustion, and as a diesel particulate filter. Due to its unique open crystalline structure, low pressure drop, intrinsic strength and resistance to thermal shock. In the low light-off conversion of combustion products and hydrocarbons during cold engine start, its high thermal conductivity can outperform ceramic monolith supported catalysts. As a catalyst support, Ni foam can be equal to or superior to high temperature steels. Other applications of nickel metal foam catalysts include foam-supported catalysts for the Fischer-Tropsch process, steam reforming and fine chemical hydrogenation.