Nanoporous gold architectures: design, function, and emerging applications

Abstract

Gold (Au), once valued mainly for its stability and shine, now shows remarkable catalytic and plasmonic properties at the nanoscale. Nanoporous gold (np-Au) stands out with high surface area, tunable pores, and good conductivity, enabling advanced catalysis and sensing. This review summarises recent progress in np-Au synthesis, structure–property relationships, and emerging applications, while addressing challenges in controlling porosity, crystallinity, and multifunctional integration.