  X-ray diffraction studies of nanoporous gold face the poorly understood
diffraction scenario where large coherent crystals are riddled with nanoscale
holes. Theoretical considerations derived in this study show that the ligament
size of the porous network influences the scattering despite being quasi single
crystalline. Virtual diffraction of artificially generated samples confirms the
results but also shows a loss of long-range coherency and the appearance of
microstrain due to thermal relaxation. Subsequently, a large set of laboratory
X-ray investigations of nanoporous gold fabricated by different approaches and
synthesis parameters reveal a clear correlation between ligament size and size
of the coherent scattering domains as well as extremely high microstrains in
samples with ligament sizes below 10 nm.
