Nanoporous
metals and metalloids are a broad class of materials
whose fabrication involves the selective removal of one or more sacrificial
elements from a parent alloy, also known as dealloying, which produces
a bulk, monolithic framework with interconnected nanoscale ligaments
and pores. The first reports within this field tended to focus on
precious nanoporous metals (e.g., nanoporous gold) to provide an explanation
of the fundamental mechanisms that underpin conventional, aqueous
solution dealloying. As the community has grown, researchers have
begun to explore various nonprecious metal and metalloid elements
to expand the application space and versatility of nanoporous metals
and metalloids. Air- and water-sensitive elements represent a particularly
promising exploration for emerging energy applications; combining
their chemical reactivity with the high specific surface area and
unique morphology of nanoporous metals could enable significant advances
in metal fuels for on-board hydrogen generation, next-generation battery
electrodes, (electro)catalysts, and more. However, sensitivity to
air and water imposes a significant fabrication barrier: The conventional
aqueous solution dealloying approach either cannot create these materials
at all or cannot create these materials without simultaneously forming
a surface oxide film, which prevents them from being used in the applications
mentioned above. To mitigate this issue, the community has developed
several unique dealloying strategies involving various electrochemical,
liquid metal, and thermal methods. In this review, we present those
dealloying strategies and their reaction mechanisms, provide concrete
examples of their fabrication and application in energy applications,
and analyze their advantages and drawbacks with a focus on recyclability,
complexity, and scalability.