3. Application prospects

With the exception of catalysis (Raney, 1927), metallic nanofoams are still recent materials (early 1970s), which have been the subject of intense and varied research into applications since the 2000s. The prospects for integrating nano-foams into systems derive from their specific architecture, combining ligaments (electrically and thermally conductive, with good mechanical strength and elasto-plastic deformation), very high specific surface area and open porosity. From this, two broad classes of applications can be defined:

• functions, which can be divided into two sub-classes:

  • actuator: the application of a stimulus (e.g. electrical or optical) producing a reaction (e.g. mechanical or plasmonic),

  • sensor for detection or diagnosis by action of a species on the surface and...