Influence of initial treatments of aluminium on the morphological features of electrochemically formed alumina membranes

The fabrication of alumina membranes by electrochemical oxidation of annealed aluminium was investigated. Porous layers were grown in 0.4 M H3PO4 at −1 and 5 °C at different anodising times. The morphology of the outer surface was found to be dependent on temperature and charge density, with both determining the extent of chemical dissolution of the anodic oxide. The inner-surface morphology was found to depend on the applied voltage only. The chemical dissolution rate of anodic oxide grown on annealed aluminium was found to be lower than that formed on unannealed aluminium under otherwise identical conditions. Such a difference in behaviour is explained in terms of a higher finishing degree of annealed aluminium determining a lower defect concentration in the anodic oxide.