Formation of Nanoporous Gold Studied by Transmission Electron Backscatter Diffraction.

Transmission electron backscatter diffraction (t-EBSD) was used to investigate the effect of dealloying on the microstructure of 140-nm thin gold foils. Statistical and local comparisons of the microstructure between the nonetched and nanoporous gold foils were made. Analyses of crystallographic texture, misorientation distribution, and grain structure clearly prove that during the dealloying manufacturing process of nanoporous materials the crystallographic texture is enhanced significantly with a clear decrease of internal strain, whereas maintaining the grain structure.