Reactive synthesis and assessment of porous Fe-20.5Al-18Cr intermetallic material: A comparative study with porous FeCrAl material produced from prealloyed powders

•Porous FeAlCr intermetallic with high content of Al/Cr is synthesized.•Reactive synthesis conquers the headaches in prealloyed powder sintering.•Fe-20.5Al-18Cr compact presents limited exothermic effect during synthesis.•Reactive synthesis contributes to the more permeable pore structure.•Porous Fe-20.5Al-18Cr serves well in high-temperature coal-gas environment.