We propose a novel, practical way to prepare nanoporous Sb with different morphologies and Sb particles of varying size through chemical dealloying of Al–Sb alloy ribbon precursors with different compositions, a top-down process.

We have demonstrated a controlled amorphous red phosphorus@Ni–P core@shell nanostructure as an ultralong cycle-life and superior high-rate anode for SIBs through combining electroless deposition with chemical dealloying.

Monolithic nanoporous copper (NPC) ribbons can be fabricated through chemical dealloying of melt-spun Al-Cu alloys with 33-50 at % Cu under free corrosion conditions. The microstructure of these NPC ribbons was characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, and transmission electron microscopy. The experimental results show that the melt-spun Al-Cu alloys with 33-50 at % Cu are composed of one or a combination of Al 2 Cu and AlCu intermetallic compounds. Both Al 2 Cu and AlCu can be fully dealloyed, and the synergetic dealloying of Al 2 Cu and AlCu in the two-phase Al-Cu alloys results in the formation of NPC with a homogeneous porous structure. The NPC ribbons exhibit an open, bicontinuous interpenetrating ligament-channel structure. NPC is a promising high strength/low density material due to its high porosity and yield strength of 86 ( 10 MPa. In addition, bulk NPC rods and slices can also be synthesized using the same strategy. These NPC ribbons, rods, and slices can serve as model materials to investigate the mechanical, physical (for example, electrical resistivity), and chemical properties associated with random porous structure of nanoporous solids.

We describe the fabrication of novel PdCu bimetallic nanocomposites with hierarchically hollow structures through a simple galvanic replacement reaction using dealloyed nanoporous copper (NPC) as both a template and reducing agent. The reaction process was monitored by UV-vis absorbance spectra and X-ray diffraction (XRD), which clearly demonstrate a structure evolution from NPC precursor to a Pd-rich PdCu alloy structure upon the completion of the reaction. Structure characterization by means of transmission electron microscope (TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) indicates that the replacement reaction between NPC and [PdCl 4 ] 2-solution results in a nanotubular mesoporous structure with a nanoporous shell, which is comprised of interconnected alloy nanoparticles with size around 3 nm. The resulted PdCu nanostructure shows superior activity toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) with a half-wave potential at 0.840 V, which is significantly better than that of the commercial Pt/C catalyst.

The lithium storage performance of silicon (Si) can be enhanced by being alloyed with germanium (Ge) because of its good electronic and ionic conductivity. Here, we synthesized a three-dimensional nanoporous (3D-NP) SiGe alloy as a high-performance lithium-ion battery (LIB) anode using a dealloying method with a ternary AlSiGe ribbon serving as the precursor. The morphology and porosity of the as-synthesized SiGe alloy can be controlled effectively by adjusting the sacrificial Al content of the precursor. With an Al content of 80%, the 3D-NP SiGe presents uniformly coral-like structure with continuous ligaments and hierarchical micropores and mesopores, which leads to a high reversible capacity of 1158 mA h g after 150 cycles at a current density of 1000 mA g with excellent rate capacity. The strategy might provide guidelines for nanostructure optimization and mass production of energy storage materials.