Nanoporous Gold Leaf: “Ancient Technology”/Advanced Material

A free-standing nanoporous gold (NPG) membrane is made by dealloying commercially available white-gold leaf in nitric acid (see Figure). This porous material has an unusual combination of characteristics in that it is metallic with a continuous crystal lattice throughout the porous network, and has a pore size that is adjustable via simple room-temperature post-processing. This ultra-high-surface-area material is potentially very useful for applications such as electrocatalysis and sensing.