Branchy alumina nanotubes

Branchy alumina nanotubes (bANTs) have been shown to exist in aluminum oxide. Electron-beam evaporated 400 nm Al film on Si substrate is stepwise anodized in dilute sulfuric acid under the constant dc voltage 40 V at 10.0 degreesC. This electrochemical-anodizing route resulted in the formation of individual bANTs. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the length of the bANTs was around 450 nm, and the inner diameter was around 10-20 nm. We deduced that the bANTs, the completely detached multibranchy cells of anodic porous alumina (APA) film, should be evolved from the stagnant cells of the APA mother film. The bANTs may be used as templates in fabrication of individual branchy nanoscale cables, jacks, and heterojunctions. The proposed formation mechanisms of the bANTs and the stagnant cells should give some insights into the long-standing problem of APA film, i.e., the self-ordering mechanism of the cells arrangement in porous anodization of aluminum. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.