Carbon-free nanoporous gold based membrane electrocatalysts for fuel cells

Nanoporous gold (NPG) membranes made by dealloying consist of a bicontinuous network of Au ligaments and open pore channels, which have gained considerable attention as a platform for the design of carbon-free electrodes for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Benefiting from a unique combination of high electronic conductivity, high surface area, and modifiable surface chemistry, these self-supporting membrane type electrodes allow integration of various structural functions required for specific electrode reactions and simultaneously facilitate the entire fuel cell kinetic process. In this review, we summarize the major research progresses in this area, with an emphasis on how to customize the surface structures of these three-dimensional electrocatalysts for desired fuel molecule oxidation and oxidant reduction. We will also discuss these designed structural characteristics that can be readily accommodated in membrane electrode assemblies (MEA), thus effectively bridging the technological gap between electrocatalysts' intrinsic activities and their actual performances in fuel cells.