Incorporation of copper chelate ions into anodic alumina walls

Anodic aluminum oxide (MO) is typically applied as a template for nanofabrication. It was found that during anodization the anions of electrolytes are being incorporated into the nanopore walls giving rise to an emission in the UV/VIS range. In this paper, incorporation of copper-EDTA chelate ions was studied. The anodization of all studied samples was carried out in 0.02 M CuSO4+0.02 M EDTA in 2 wt% sulfuric acid, which has provided suitable conditions for self-organized two-step process of MO growth. Nanoporous alumina was formed and studied with Scanning Electron Microscopy. Chemical composition analysis of the anodic alumina revealed that the greater the oxide growth rate, the more copper is being incorporated. The photoluminescence studies confirmed the presence of copper in the AAO pore walls. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.