A simple method for fabrication of highly ordered porous α-alumina ceramic membranes

By taking anodic aluminum oxide membranes as the starting materials and selectively removing the outer layers from the unit cells of anodic aluminum oxide membranes after a proper hydrothermal treatment, highly ordered porous alpha-alumina ceramic membranes are fabricated successfully. This fabrication method might be a new approach for the preparation of alpha-alumina ceramic membranes with nanochannel-array architecture not only at the submicron scale but also at the nanometer scale. The obtained membranes are anticipated to become a new generation of filters and supports for catalysts or absorbents, and have wide applications in the fields of nanomaterial synthesis, biology and electronic devices.