Surface modified metallic foam body, process for its production and use thereof

The invention relates to a surface modified metallic foam body, obtainable by a process comprising the steps: (a) providing a metallic foam body comprising a first metallic material; (b) applying a second metallic material which is different from the first metallic material and 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 metallic foam body; (c) forming an alloy skin of the metallic foam body obtained in step (b) by alloying the first metallic material and the second metallic material; and (d) treating the alloyed metallic foam body obtained in step (c) with an agent that is capable of leaching out the leachable first and/or second metallic compound from the alloy skin of the metallic foam body. The invention moreover relates to a process for the production of the surface modified metallic foam body and a use of the surface modified metallic foam body.