Table 1.

Advantages and disadvantages of different np-Au fabrication techniques.

Method	Advantages	Disadvantages
Electrochemical etching of Au electrode	One-step process No need to prepare alloy beforehand No need of highly concentrated corrosive chemicals Low chances of impurity on surface	Difficult to control size of pores and ligaments Can be time consuming
Electrodeposition	One-step process No need to prepare alloy beforehand Stable and highly pure structure can be formed	Difficult to create thicker structure Difficult to control size of pores and ligaments
Dealloying (a) Chemical (b) Electrochemical	Easy and no need of instrumentation Large number of samples can be prepared at the same time in a batch Size of pores and ligament can be tuned easily Optimal for self-supported np-Au structures Better control over pores and ligaments size when an alloy is a thin layer No need of highly corrosive solvents	Use of corrosive solvents May contain impurities from less noble metals Once dealloyed (self-supported structures), difficult to use as a working electrode because of fragile nature and connection problem Time consuming if thicker and large number of electrodes have to be prepared Electrolyte gets contaminated after dealloying and may need to be changed after each dealloying