Preparation and characterization of anodic alumina membrane with nanopore arrays

Anodic alumina membranes (AAM) with nanopore arrays were prepared by one-step anodization of highly pure aluminum foil. Morphology, structure and composition of AAM were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersion spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Results showed that AAM owned honeycomb structure which was characterized by close-packed arrays of columnar hexagonal cells, each containing a central pore normal to the substrate. The diameter of pores and the size of cells changed under different anodic conditions, such as temperature, concentration of H2C2O4 solution, voltage and time of anodization. The walls of AAM were composed of two strains of nanoparticles of alumina. Furthermore, the chemical composition of AAM was found to be amorphous alumina. The prepared AAM with nanopore arrays is a kind of ideal template for preparation of many one-dimensional nanomaterials.