Synthesis of Porous Noble Metal Films With Tunable Porosity by Timed Dealloying

Nanoporous metal foams have an increasing importance in applications such as chemical catalysis, energy storage, and nanomedicine. This paper examines a simple strategy for controlling the pore volume fraction and pore size of nanoporous films synthesized by dealloying thin-films. By means of controlling the temperature and concentration of nitric acid in dealloying of AgAu thin-films, partially dealloyed AgAu nanoporous films are produced with a high degree of control over the pore size and pore volume fraction. Such capability enables the design of nanoporous metal catalysts materials with desired morphology.