Highly active thermally stable nanoporous gold catalyst

1. A product, comprising:

a nanoporous gold structure comprising a plurality of ligaments; and

a plurality of oxide particles in a conformal layer covering the ligaments of the nanoporous gold structure throughout nanopores of the nanoporous gold structure,

wherein the oxide particles include a metal oxide selected from a group consisting of: a titanium oxide, a cerium oxide, a praseodymium oxide, and precursors thereof,

wherein the conformal layer surrounds the ligaments and has about a uniform thickness throughout the nanoporous gold structure,

wherein the oxide particles are characterized by a crystalline phase.

2. The product as recited in claim 1 ,

wherein the gold in the ligaments is resistant to sintering at temperatures up to about 600 C.

3. The product as recited in claim 1 , wherein the ligaments are characterized by an average diameter in a range from about 25 nm to about 75 nm.

4. The product as recited in claim 1 , wherein the ligaments define a plurality of nanopores having an average diameter in a range from about 10 nm to about 50 nm.

5. The product as recited in claim 4 , wherein the nanopores are homogenously distributed throughout the nanoporous gold structure, wherein the oxide particles are distributed throughout available nanopores of the nanoporous gold structure.

6. The product as recited in claim 1 , wherein the oxide particles include a metal oxide selected from a group consisting of: a titanium oxide, a cerium oxide, a praseodymium oxide, and precursors thereof.

7. The product as recited in claim 1 , wherein at least 95 vol % of the oxide particles are characterized by the crystalline phase.

8. A product, comprising:

a nanoporous gold structure comprising a plurality of ligaments; and

a plurality of oxide particles in a conformal layer covering the ligaments of the nanoporous gold structure throughout nanopores of the nanoporous gold structure,

wherein the conformal layer surrounds the ligaments and has about a uniform thickness throughout the nanoporous gold structure,

wherein the oxide particles are characterized by a crystalline phase,

wherein the oxide particles comprise one or more metal oxides selected from a group consisting of: a titanium oxide characterized by a predominantly anatase crystalline phase; a cerium oxide characterized by a predominantly fluoride crystalline phase having oxygen vacancies; a praseodymium oxide characterized by a predominantly fluoride crystalline phase having oxygen vacancies; and an iron oxide characterized by a predominantly hematite crystalline phase.

9. A product, comprising:

a nanoporous gold structure comprising a plurality of ligaments; and

a plurality of oxide particles deposited on the nanoporous gold structure,

wherein the oxide particles include a metal oxide selected from a group consisting of: a titanium oxide, a cerium oxide, a praseodymium oxide, and precursors thereof,

wherein the oxide particles are characterized by a crystalline phase,

wherein the plurality of oxide particles have physical characteristics of being:

in the form of a conformal, continuous layer extending throughout the nanoporous gold structure and surrounding the ligaments on all sides thereof; and

incubated at a selected temperature for a period of time sufficient to cause the oxide particles to have primarily a predetermined crystalline phase.

10. The product as recited in claim 1 , wherein the nanoporous gold structure is characterized by a high specific surface area in a range from about 5 m 2 /g to about 15 m 2 /g.

11. The product as recited in claim 1 , wherein the product exhibits a carbon monoxide oxidation activity not less than a value in a range from about 5 s −1 to about 20 s −1 .

12. The product as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:

a substrate;

wherein the nanoporous gold structure and deposited oxide nanoparticles are arranged as a thin film deposited on and/or coupled to the substrate; and

wherein the thin film is characterized by a thickness in a range from about 100 nm to about 1 mm.

13. A three dimensional structure comprising the nanoporous gold structure and deposited oxide nanoparticles as recited in claim 1 , wherein the three dimensional structure is characterized by a volume not less than about 1 mm 3 .

14. The product as recited in claim 2 , wherein the ligaments define a plurality of nanopores of the nanoporous gold structure, wherein the nanopores are distributed throughout the nanoporous gold structure, wherein the oxide particles are distributed homogeneously throughout the nanopores of the nanoporous gold structure.

15. The product as recited in claim 9 , wherein the ligaments define a plurality of nanopores of the nanoporous gold structure, wherein the nanopores are distributed throughout the nanoporous gold structure, wherein the oxide particles are distributed homogeneously throughout the nanopores of the nanoporous gold structure.

16. The product as recited in claim 9 , wherein the plurality of oxide particles have physical characteristics of being incubated at a particular temperature for a period of time sufficient to cause the oxide particles to have primarily a particular crystalline phase.

17. The product as recited in claim 1 , wherein the oxide particles are distributed homogeneously throughout the nanopores of the nanoporous gold structure.

18. The product as recited in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of oxide particles have physical characteristics of being:

deposited by a process selected from the group consisting of: atomic layer deposition, liquid phase deposition, and wet chemical impregnation; and

incubated at a temperature for a period of time sufficient to cause the oxide particles to have primarily the crystalline phase.

19. The product as recited in claim 9 , wherein the conformal, continuous film covers all surfaces inside the nanoporous gold structure, the conformal, all portions of the continuous film in pores of the nanoporous gold structure having about a constant thickness.