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Fabrication of Paper‐Templated Structures of Noble Metals
Author(s) -
Christodouleas Dionysios C.,
Simeone Felice C.,
Tayi Alok,
Targ Sonia,
Weaver James C.,
Jayaram Kaushik,
FernándezAbedul Maria Teresa,
Whitesides George M.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
advanced materials technologies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.184
H-Index - 42
ISSN - 2365-709X
DOI - 10.1002/admt.201600229
Subject(s) - noble metal , oxidizing agent , platinum , materials science , template , nanotechnology , aqueous solution , fabrication , catalysis , metal , chemical engineering , metallurgy , chemistry , organic chemistry , medicine , alternative medicine , engineering , pathology
This manuscript describes a simple and rapid method for fabricating free‐standing structures composed primarily (>94% w/w, and 55–80 at%) of noble metals (e.g., gold, silver, platinum, etc.) and having physical morphologies that resemble paper, thread, or fabric. In this method, templates (i.e., pieces of paper, or cotton fabric) are loaded with aqueous solutions of salts of noble metals, and then the cellulosic component is burned off in a furnace held at high temperatures (i.e., from 550 °C to 800 °C, depending on the procedure, in air). Even though the environment in a furnace is ostensibly oxidizing (e.g., hot air), the metal ions are reduced to elemental metal and form paper‐templated or fabric‐templated structures that have morphologies similar to that of the material from which they were derived (i.e., paper or fabric). Paper‐templated structures are fibrous, permeable to gases and liquides, electrically conductive, and in some cases (e.g., paper‐templated gold and paper‐templated platinum structures), their surfaces are electroactive. The surface areas of paper‐templated structures are more than 20 times higher than their projected areas. Paper‐templated structures thus have properties that make them potentially useful in catalysis, sensing, and electroanalysis.