The preparation and characterization of three-dimensional hierarchical architectures, consisting of monolithic nanoporous gold or silver films formed on highly ordered 3D microporous carbon supports, are described. The formation of these nano/microporous structures involves the electrodeposition or sputtering of metal alloys onto the lithographically patterned multi-layered microporous carbon, followed by preferential chemical dealloying of the less noble component. The resulting hierarchical structure displays a highly developed 3D interconnected network of micropores with a nanoporous metal coating. Tailoring the nanoporosity of the metal films and the diameter of the large micropores has been accomplished by systematically changing the alloy compositions via control of the deposition potential, plating solution and coarsening time. SEM imaging illustrates the formation of unique biomimetic nanocoral- or nanocauliflower-like self-supporting structures, depending on the specific preparation conditions. The new 3D hierarchical nano/microporous architectures allow for enhanced mass transport and catalytic activity compared to common nanoporous films prepared on planar substrates. The functionality of this new carbon–gold hierarchical structure is illustrated for the greatly enhanced performance of enzymatic biofuel cells where a substantially higher power output is observed compared to the bare microporous carbon substrate
