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Abstract-The mechanical properties of high-purity aluminum foams produced by replication from salt precursors are measured in compression. These foams have homogeneous open-porosity, cell sizes equivalent to the particle size of the precursor salt (ෂ500 µm in this case) and relative densities near 25%. Deformation is uniform and strain hardening similar to the bulk material is observed without a plateau stress. A simple analytical model based on beam theory is employed to describe the flow stress and the change in stiffness of the foams as a consequence of compression. This model leads to a modified scaling law for the flow stress of metallic foams. 

Tritium and deuterium induce radiation in reactor materials and some radioactive tritium gas may be released. Most of the materials used in fusion reactors are metals that have relatively high permeabilities for tritium. The fusion community has been working on barriers to minimize tritium release. Unfortunately, most barrier materials work very well during laboratory experiments, but fail to meet requirements when placed in radiation environments.This chapter presents tritium permeation characteristics of various materials used in fusion reactors, including plasma-facing, structural, and barrier materials. The necessary parameters for tritium release calculations for various regions of a fusion reactor are given.

There exist several methods for the production of highly porous materials; among these, replication processing is well‐adapted for open‐pore microcellular structures. The process begins by making a porous preform, open pores of which are filled with the foam material. Thereafter the preform is removed, generally by shaking or by dissolution, leaving an interconnected porous network within the foam material. We give here a general description of the process and its variants. We then give a brief overview of its fundamentals, placing particular focus on pathways it offers for microstructural tailoring and control.

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