Pore Formation Mechanism and Oxidation Resistance of Porous Coal3 Intermetallic Prepared by Rapid Thermal Explosion

Porous CoAl3 is a candidate material in the field of catalytic due to its high porosity, good thermostability and quasicrystal structure. However, its rapid preparation are still a challenge, and the oxidation resistance need to be further investigated. In this work, we have rapidly prepared porous CoAl3 by thermal explosion (TE) reaction and studied its oxidation process. The results show that two exothermic peaks at 616 °C and 646 °C, corresponding to the solid-phase diffusion and TE reaction, respectively. The heat released from the two reactions led to the expansion of the compact, which reached a maximum of 104% at 800 °C, and the corresponding open porosity reached at 53%. The pore sources include the original pores during the green compact pressing process, the Kirkendall pores generated by the solid-phase diffusion process and the in-situ pores generated by the Al consumption after the TE occurs. The cyclic oxidation of porous CoAl3 at 700 °C for 130 h only increased the weight by 1.52%, forming a continuous protective oxide film on the surface of the skeleton. It has been found that porous CoAl3 can combine the oxidation resistance of Co–Al monoliths alloys and the high porosity of porous materials, which have potential applications in the field of catalysis such as methanation at 600–700 °C.