In order to investigate environmental effects on the ligament/pore coarsening of nanoporous gold (NPG), we studied the thermal coarsening of NPG both in air and vacuum by ex situ observation, and found that it has high structural stability against heat treatment in vacuum. To clarify the nature of this phenomenon, we investigated the thermal coarsening of NPG by in situ environmental transmission electron microscopy. At an elevated temperature (400°C), the coarsening of ligaments/pores was triggered by introducing either pure N 2 or O 2 gas into the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) chamber (but not by Ar gas). We thus conclude with a discussion on the mechanism for thermal coarsening of NPG.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.