Mechanism by which porous structure is formed on the surface of gold alloy containing only Cu as base metal.

Gold alloys with Cu contents of 10 mass%, 20%, and 30% were used for morphological observation of porous surface structures after heating at 800 degrees C in air followed by pickling with acid solution. With increasing Cu content in the gold alloy, the internal oxidation zone became well-developed in the alloy matrix. The mechanism by which a porous structure was formed on the surface of a gold alloy containing only Cu as a base metal was thought to be as follows: Cu2O which formed along the grain boundaries acted as a diffusion path, permitting the penetration of O2- into the inner alloy matrix, and thereby resulting in internal oxidation occurring predominantly along the grain boundaries.