Nanoporous materials are well known to be technologically useful for a wide spectrum of applications such as energy storage and conversion in fuel cells, solar cells, Li-ion batteries, hydrogen storage etc. Nanoporous materials consist of a regular organic or inorganic framework supporting a regular, porous structure. The size of the pores is generally 100 nanometers or smaller. Most nanoporous materials can be classified as bulk materials or membranes.Nanoporous materials consist of a regular organic or inorganic framework supporting a regular, porous structure. The size of the pores is generally 100 nanometers or smaller. Most nanoporous materials can be classified as bulk materials or membranes.
Nanoporous gold is a material that can be utilized in several areas of medical research, including biosensing and drug delivery. The precursor alloy can be designed with formulations of gold and silver that provide optimized electronic and mechanical properties. Due to its brittle nature, nanoporous gold has been restricted in use as an electrode material in biosensors, drug delivery devices, and other applications. Processes such as annealing have been shown to produce a tougher and less brittle material. Optimizing the mechanical properties of nanoporous gold is necessary to enable its use in a wider variety of medical applications.The nanoporous catalysts with advantages of high surface areas and abundant nanoporosity have been widely used in heterogeneous catalytic processes, but their catalytic performances are generally lower than those of the corresponding homogeneous catalysts due to distinguishable exposed active sites and molecular diffusion. Recent results show that molecular diffusion strongly influences catalytic performances.