Electrochemical processing of porosity gradients for the production of functionally graded materials

The present paper lays the theoretical foundations of a new production process for functionally graded materials (FGMs). The process is based on the evolution of porosity gradients in porous electrodes which undergo electrochemical dissolution or deposition. The electrodes with graded porosity serve as preforms for the production of graded composites by infiltration processing. A one-dimensional macroscopic model of the porous electrode has been used for the prediction of the porosity gradients. A numerical approach allows utilization of experimentally determined current-potential curves for nonporous electrodes, with the incorporation of changes of the pore structure during the course of the electrode reaction, to predict the porosity gradients. For porous copper cathodes and anodes the results of this model are compared with experimentally observed polarization behavior and porosity distributions for different current densities and electrolyte conductivities.