Preparation and electrochemical catalytic property of Au-Ni alloy with porous structure

In this work, porous gold-nickel alloy was prepared by electrochemical dealloying in 8.75 wt.% nitric acid. Surface morphology of the dealloyed material was observed by scanning electron microscopy and its composition was revealed by energy dispersive X-ray spectra (EDS). Electrochemical oxidation of carbohydrate on the porous material was studied. It is found that the electrochemical dealloying results in the formation of gold-rich ligaments and nickel-rich pores. The results obtained from electrochemical oxidation of 20% carbohydrate reveal that the porous Au-Ni is more than three times active than the base Au-Ni alloy. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.