Ligament coarsening in nanoporous gold: Insights from positron annihilation study

Positron lifetime experiments, coupled with scanning electron microscopy studies, have been used to follow the coarsening of the ligaments of nanoporous Au (np-Au), prepared by electrochemical dealloying of Ag75Au25. Positron lifetime measurements in the as-prepared np-Au indicate two lifetime components, identified with annihilation at vacancies within the ligaments and at the ligament-pore interface. The variation of these lifetime parameters with annealing temperature indicates distinct changes that correlate the migration of vacancies to the growth of ligaments. The lifetime component, corresponding to the annihilation at the ligament-pore interface, shows signature of ligament surface instability. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.