Under the correct conditions, aluminum can be anodized in an electrochemical cell to produce hexagonally ordered arrays of nanoscale pores. This study examines how adding the chemicals methanol and acetic acid to a typical anodization solution alters pore-growth patterns across the surface oxide layer. The existence of the unique pore-growth patterns was confirmed and studied via scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic-force microscope (AFM) techniques. The effects of altering both chemical additive concentrations and pore-growth time evolution were examined. Results suggest that methanol and acetic acid do not directly control the site of pore formation. Instead, these chemicals appear to focus pore growth in extremely small defects on the aluminum surface that would not normally have any noticeable effect on pore formation.

Last modified

• 07/24/2018

Creator

• Ryan S. Ginder
• Mark C. Hersam
• Albert L. Lipson

DOI

• https://doi.org/10.21985/N2JT61

Keyword

• Volume 7

Date created

• 2010

Resource type

• Article

Rights statement

• In Copyright