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Nanoporous metallic structures are of interest for sensing and catalysis applications due to the large internal surface area. By starting out with an alloy consisting of elements with different corrosion potentials, electrochemical dealloying can be used to selectively remove the less noble species from the initial alloy. Surface rearrangement of the more noble species then leads to the formation of a self-standing, continuous, nanoporous metallic structure [1]. Research efforts so far have been focused on nanoporous structures produced from gold alloys [2], but for large-scale applications a more cost-effective alternative would be beneficial.
For this purpose, the present work is devoted to nanoporous copper which recently has gained interest as alternative to nanoporous gold. The formation of the nanoporous copper structure during dealloying is comprehensively investigated in-situ by means of chronoamperometry, 4-point resistometry [3], and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy as well as ex-situ by electrochemical and optical characterization [4]. In contrast to nanoporous gold, the porosity evolution and subsequent surface modification of nanoporous copper appears to be hindered by surface oxide formation [5]. However, the insulating oxide could prove beneficial. Therefore, potentials are explored to use nanoporous copper as an alternative carrier structure for the typical gold-based metal-enzyme hybrid electrodes [6,7].
[1] Erlebacher, Jonah, et al. Nature 2001, 410, 450.
[2] Wittstock, Arne, et al. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2010, 12, 12919.
[3] Steyskal, Eva-Maria, et al. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2017, 19, 29880.
[4] Biswal, Prabhu Prasad, et al. Materialia 2026, 102678.
[5] Hengge, Elisabeth, et al. Nanoscale Adv. 2023, 5, 393.
[6] Novak, Lara Marie, et al. Langmuir 2025, 41.8, 5136-5146.
[7] Novak, Lara Marie, et al. J. Biotechnol. 2026, 413, 33-41.