Nanoporous gold (referred to as np-Au or NPG) has emerged over the past 10 years as a new support for enzyme immobilization. The material has appealing features of ease of preparation, tunability of pore size, high surface to volume ratio, and compatibility with multiple strategies for enzyme immobilization. The np-Au material is especially of interest for immobilization of redox enzymes for biosensor and biofuel cell applications given the ability to construct electrodes of high surface area and stability. Adjustment of the pore size of np-Au can yield enhancements in enzyme thermal stability. Glucose oxidase immobilization on np-Au has been a focus for development of glucose sensors. Immobilization of laccase and related enzymes has demonstrated the utility of np-Au for construction of biofuel cells. Np-Au has been used to immobilize other redox enzymes, enzyme conjugates for use in bioassays, and enzymes of interest for industrial processes.
Keywords: Enzyme; biofuel cell; biosensor; immobilization; nanoporous gold; stabilization.