Hydrogels and Aerogels from Noble Metal Nanoparticles

Abstract

Look, no hands! Non-supported macroscopic aerogels are fabricated from platinum, gold, and silver, and from bimetallic mixtures of gold/silver and platinum/silver. The hydrogels and aerogels consist of voluminous porous networks of particles or wires that are only a few nanometers thick. These entirely new structures have tremendous potential for applications in catalysis and nanophotonics.