Preparation of anodized aluminium oxide at high temperatures using low purity aluminium (Al6082)

A rapid two-step anodization process was developed to prepare semi-ordered nanoporous anodized aluminium oxide (AAO) layers using an inexpensive aluminium (Al) alloy, Al6082 (97.53% Al) as the Al source material. Al anodizing was performed at various anodization voltages (30, 45, 60 V) and temperatures (20, 30, 40 degrees C) using 0.4 M oxalic acid as the electrolyte. The effects of temperature and voltage on the morphological characteristics of the obtained AAO formed by one- and two-step anodization were investigated. The obtained AAO surfaces were characterized by scanning electron microscopy. Morphological characteristics of importance here were the pore diameter, inter-pore distance, porosity and pore density. An AAO layer with a semi-ordered pore arrangement was prepared using a two-step anodization process, which included an AAO etching step before the second anodization. The obtained AAO had a pore diameter of 43.8 +/- 6.0 nm, inter-pore distance of 82.6 +/- 19 nm, 25% porosity, pore density of 169 pores/mu m(2) and layer thickness of 53 mu m. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy results suggested that non-Al elements present in Al6082 were present on the surface of AAO. From an economic perspective, the AAO preparation process proposed in this study makes the fabrication of AAO more attractive.