Title: A direct method for ultrafine gold networks with nanometre scale ligaments

Authors: Yu Xin Zhang; Hua Chun Zeng

Addresses: Minerals, Metals, and Materials Technology Center, and KAUST-NUS GCR Program, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, 10 Kent Ridge Crescent 119260, Singapore. ' Minerals, Metals, and Materials Technology Center, and KAUST-NUS GCR Program, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, 10 Kent Ridge Crescent 119260, Singapore

Abstract: Preparation of precious metals into porous structures in nanoscale regime is currently only achieved by dealloying processes, in which a second or third component is leached out of matrices of metal alloys. To avoid loss and hassle of recovery of leached precious metals, direct synthetic methods should be developed. In this work, we report our chemical synthesis of ultrafine gold networks through a reductive solution process at room temperature and normal atmospheric pressure. The prepared gold network has shown a high activity to work as surface enhanced Raman scattering substrate. In view of its process simplicity, this template-free direct method can be further studied for large-scale fabrications of other low density metals and alloys with meso- and macroporous open framework structures.

Keywords: gold nanowires; gold ligaments; nanostructured gold; spongy gold networks; SERS effects; nanotechnology; precious metals; porous structures; ultrafine gold networks.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNT.2011.044427

International Journal of Nanotechnology, 2011 Vol.8 No.10/11/12, pp.816 - 824

Published online: 24 Dec 2011 *

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