A milestone in ultrafast gel fabrication from unconventional self-healing noble metal gels

Electrocatalysis is extensively involved in many important energy-related processes such as the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) for fuel cells, the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) for green hydrogen production, and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) for metal-air batteries. Noble metal aerogels (NMAs) have emerged as a new class of outstanding electrocatalysts, combining the features of metals and aerogels. However, the development of these porous materials has been impeded by sluggish fabrication methods, which require several hours or even weeks. In addition, the unique optical properties of noble metals—for instance, plasmonic resonance—have so far been ignored in NMAs, limiting their potential high performance in electrocatalysis.