Nanoporous Copper Films with High Surface Area Formed by Chemical Dealloying from Electroplated CuZn Alloy

Background: Nanoporous copper (NPC) is one of the attractive inexpen- sive nanoporous materials with prospects for many applications such as catalyst, electronics and package. A unique approach to fabricate NPC films and patterned NPC films on various substrates was reported. It will have important implications for fabricating novel microsensors with more complex porous structures from multi- phase alloy families. Methods: The fabrication process includes the electrodeposition of CuZn alloy films in citrate-based electrolytes, followed by subsequent chemical dealloying of CuZn films in HCl solution. Results: The characteristic of NPC films was dependent on the composition and microstructure of precursor CuZn alloy films. A three dimensional bicontinuous NPC structure was formed with pore sizes of 80 to 150 nm after chemical dealloying. The NPC dealloyed from Cu36Zn64 alloy films exhibits high Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area (16.79 m2/g). Conclusion: A novel strategy for the fabrication of nanoporous copper (NPC) films and their arrays on various substrates were developed.