Two-Step Cycle for Producing Multiple Anodic Aluminum Oxide (AAO) Films with Increasing Long-Range Order

Published

July 11, 2016

Author(s)

Eric A. Choudhary, Veronika A. Szalai

Abstract

Nanoporous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes are being used for an increasing number of applications. However, the original two-step anodization method in which the first anodization is sacrificial to pre-pattern the second is still widely used to produce them. This method provides relatively low throughput and material utilization as half of the films are discarded. An alternative scheme that relies on alternating anodization and cathodic delamination is demonstrated that allows for the fabrication of several AAO films with only one sacrificial layer thus greatly improving total aluminum to alumina yield. The thickness for which the cathodic delamination performs best to yield full, unbroken AAO sheets is around 85 μm. Additionally, an image analysis method is used to quantify the degree of long-range ordering of the unit cells in the AAO films which was found to increase with each successive iteration of the fabrication cycle.

Citation

RSC Advances

Volume

6

Issue

72

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1039/C6RA13830F

Keywords

AAO, cathodic delamination

Citation

Choudhary, E. and Szalai, V. (2016), Two-Step Cycle for Producing Multiple Anodic Aluminum Oxide (AAO) Films with Increasing Long-Range Order, RSC Advances, [online], https://doi.org/10.1039/C6RA13830F (Accessed October 27, 2025)