Synthesis and Electrochemical Stability of Ultrahigh Aspect Ratio Nanoporous Gold after Calixarene-Phosphine Ligand Removal

Leveraging our previous report on the synthesis of calixarene-capped ultrahigh aspect-ratio nanoporous gold, we now report a new class of nanoporous gold comprising removed calixarene-phosphine ligands using UV/ozone treatment. The removal of the calixarene ligands by this treatment is supported by XPS measurements. TEM further shows the extraordinary stability of the ∼1 nm building blocks comprising the nanoporous gold wall after UV/ozone treatment and subsequent strongly reducing electrochemical environments. Sensing of nitrobenzene is used as a method of characterization to show that the surface chemistry of the nanoporous gold assemblies has radically changed after the UV/ozone treatment.