Abstract: The invention relates to a metallic foam body, comprising (a) a metallic foam body substrate made of at least one metal or metal alloy A; and (b) a layer of a metal or metal alloy B present on at least a part of the surface of the metallic foam body substrate (a), wherein A and B differ in their chemical composition and/or in the grain size of the metal or metal alloy, and wherein the metal or metal alloy A and B is selected from a group consisting of Ni, Cr, Co, Cu, Ag, and any alloy thereof; obtainable by a process comprising the steps (i) provision of a porous organic polymer foam; (ii) deposition of at least one metal or metal alloy A on the porous organic polymer foam; (iii) burning off of the porous organic polymer foam to obtain the metallic foam body substrate (a); and (iv) deposition by electroplating of the metallic layer (b) of a metal or metal alloy B at least on a part of the surface of the metallic foam body (a).

Abstract: A metallic foam body containing an alloy skin which is up to 50 ?m thick can be obtained by a process including (a) providing a metallic foam body comprising a first metallic material; (b) applying a second metallic material which contains a first metallic compound that is leachable as such and/or that can be transformed by alloying into a second metallic compound that is leachable and different from the first metallic compound on a surface of the foam body (a), by coating the metallic foam body with an organic binder and a powder of the second metallic material; (c) forming a skin on foam body (b) by alloying the first and the second metallic material; and (d) leaching out with a leaching agent at least a part of the first and/or the second metallic compound.