Three-dimensional morphology of nanoporous gold

Abstract

We report transmission electron tomography of nanoporous gold fabricated by chemically dealloying Au35Ag65 films. A number of algorithms were employed to quantitatively characterize the complex three-dimensional nanoporous structure. It was found that gold ligaments and nanopore channels are topologically and morphologically equivalent, i.e., they are inverses of each other in three-dimensional space. Statistical analysis reveals that this bicontinuous nanostructured material is actually quasiperiodic and has, on average, a near zero surface curvature. These quantitative measurements will help in understanding the structural stability of nanoporous gold and in modeling its physical and chemical performances.