Formation of nano-porous GeOx by de-alloying of an Al–Ge–Mn amorphous alloy

The present study shows that nanometer-scale amorphous phase separation occurs by spinodal decomposition of the undercooled liquid in a melt-spun Al60Ge30Mn10 alloy, although there is no atomic pair with positive enthalpy of mixing. By adopting a proper de-alloying process, an interconnected nano-porous germanium oxide with an amorphous structure is successfully synthesized. The present study shows that nano-porous amorphous germanium oxide can be easily obtained by de-alloying of Al-based amorphous alloys with nm-scale composition fluctuation.