Influence of the anodization conditions and chemical treatment on the formation of alumina membranes with defined pore diameters

Porous anodic aluminum oxide membranes were fabricated via two-step anodization of aluminum in 0.3 M H2C2O4, 0.3 M H2SO4 and 0.17 M H3PO4 solutions. The parameters of the oxide film such as: pore diameter (Dp), interpore distance (Dc), porosity (P) and pore density (ρ) can be completely controlled by the operating conditions of the anodization. Additionally, the pore diameters and pore density can be controlled via a chemical treatment (pore opening/widening process). The effect of anodizing conditions such as the applied voltage, type of electrolyte and purity of the substrate on the rate of porous oxide growth are discussed. The obtained results were compared with the theoretical predictions and data that has been reported in the literature. The influence of the duration of chemical etching on the structural features of the oxide membranes was studied. On the based on qualitative and quantitative FFT analyzes and circularity maps, it was found that the nanostructures of anodized aluminum have the maximum order under certain specified conditions. The presence of alloying elements affects not only the rate of oxide growth but also the morphology of the anodic aluminum oxide. The rate of oxide growth depends on the electrolyte type and temperature. During chemical treatment of the oxide films pore diameter increases with the pore widening time and the highest pore widening was observed in phosphoric acid solution.