Aluminium/Copper Foam For Heatsink?

I've got a few sample blocks of metal foam laying about, got me wondering.. What are your thoughts on using this kind of stuff in a laser?

deluminati said:

I've got a few sample blocks of metal foam laying about, got me wondering.. What are your thoughts on using this kind of stuff in a laser?

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Well it's heat displacement is going to be less than regular aluminum unless you use some sort of fan. I would say normal copper would still work better.

Air make the worst heat transfer material. You want density in a heat sink.

No.

That would be even worse than having just air as a "heatsink" because the gas inside that foam is trapped and can't convect away. Metal foam is made to provide strength for low weight, not for heat transfer capabilities. In fact, the foam essentially act as insulation, like styrofoam, only with aluminum rather than polystyrene.