Nanoporous gold film: fabrication and role as a catalytic reactor

Nanoporous gold (NPG) is attractive due to its high catalytic activity. From an applied and economical point of view, fabricating thin NPG films is recognized to be an ideal approach. Herein, we report an interesting finding that a thin NPG film with a thickness of 90 nm can be prepared on various substrates conveniently by using seed-mediated growth. The film has a nanoporous character with 30-60 nm and 10-30 nm of ligament and pore size, respectively. The high cost-efficiency, adjustable substrates, easy and convenient operation make this film reactor a good candidate for catalyzing both oxidative and hydrogenation reactions.