Datasets for structural and mechanical properties of nanoporous networks from FIB reconstruction

Abstract

This dataset paper presents a comprehensive archive of 3D tomographic reconstruction image files, volume mesh files for finite element simulations, and tabulated structural and mechanical properties data of nanoporous gold structures. The base material is nanoporous gold, fabricated using a dealloying process, with a solid fraction of approximately 0.30. The NPG samples with ligament sizes ranging from 20 nm to 400 nm were prepared by controlling the thermal annealing process. The original data consist of tomographic TIFF files acquired through Focused Ion Beam/Scanning Electron Microscopy (FIB/SEM) 3D reconstruction, as detailed in Philosophical Magazine 96 (32-34), 3322-3335. At each ligament size, six sets of 3D tomographic images were obtained from different regions of the same sample to ensure representative data. Using the Simpleware software, volume meshing was performed based on the 3D image data. Structural parameters, including surface area, solid volume fraction, and total solid volume of the porous network, were extracted from the meshed volumes. Structural connectivity was also analyzed. The meshed volumes were then used as input for finite element simulations performed in Abaqus to evaluate mechanical responses under compression along all three principal axes. From the resulting stress–strain curves, the Young’s modulus and yield strength of each structure were determined. The elastic and plastic Poisson’s ratio was also explored. This dataset includes the 3D tomographic images, corresponding volume mesh files, and tables summarizing the structural and mechanical properties. All files are openly accessible via the TORE repository at https://hdl.handle.net/11420/55753