Correlation between formation conditions and breakdown voltage of anodic oxide films on aluminum

Two series of samples were investigated: a) aluminum films with a sublayer of tantalum; b) industrial aluminum alloys AMg-2m; D16; AMc; AD-1n. The optimum composition of re-anodizing electrolyte was chosen on the basis of a solution of citric acid and ethylene glycol. The results of investigations of the sparking voltage at re-anodizing for various aluminum alloys and thicknesses of primary porous oxide are presented. The analytical dependence of breakdown voltage value on forming voltage value for alloy AD-1n was obtained. The original design of re-anodizing cell allowing increase of the sparking voltage was developed.     

Spectroscopic reflectometry as in‐operando method for thickness determination of anodic oxide films on titanium

The present work focuses on the development of an in‐operando technique based on the visible spectroscopic reflectometry (VSR) for simultaneous determination of the oxide film formation during anodizing. The establishment of the VSR as in‐operando technique requires an extensive validation by comparative in‐situ but non‐operando thickness measurements under aqueous conditions. The investigations were carried out on anodic oxide films on pure titanium. The authors demonstrate the VSR as a simple and robust method for measurement under electrolyte covering. Additionally, an empirical correction algorithm extends the limitation of the visible reflectometry in thin film thickness. Reliable film thickness values can be measured down to ≥5 nm. The in‐operando mode yields additional information about the film growth time resolved. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dielectric and mechanical properties of anodic films in the Ta–Ti system

Anodic oxidation at high efficiency of sputtering‐deposited Ta–Ti alloys containing 0.6–40 at.% Ti is shown to result in amorphous films comprising a relatively thin outer layer of TiO₂‐based material and an inner layer consisting of units of TiO₂ and Ta₂O₅. The two layers develop due to the faster migration of Ti⁴⁺ ions in the inner layer relative to that of Ta⁵⁺ ions. The formation ratios for the various films are in the approximate range 1.6–1.9 nm V^?1. The dielectric constants of the films are ～28, which is a similar value to that of anodic tantala. Nanoindentation revealed that the elastic modulus and hardness of the films are essentially independent of film composition, with average values of 134 and 5.3 GPa, respectively. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Toward a quantitative description of the anodic oxide films on aluminum

A method to quantify the composition of anodic oxide films on aluminum using Infrared Spectroscopic Ellipsometry (IRSE) is proposed. It consists of obtaining the absorption coefficient of the film as a function of wavelength. Using values of the absorption coefficients for the pure components of the film, the percentages (mole or wt%) of each component in the sample can be calculated.The method is demonstrated in a study of the structure of the oxide film on electropolished aluminum and the anodically formed barrier layer film. Both surface oxides were found to be initially a form of amorphous Al₂O₃. While the barrier film is essentially free of water as prepared, the film on electropolished aluminum contained about 25 wt% water. Hydration of both types of films by immersion in boiling water results in the formation of pseudoboehmite (AlOOH). The technique may have more general applicability to the quantitative determination of the composition of corrosion films and other surface layers on metals.     

Accurate evaluations of both porosity and tortuosity of anodic films grown on rolled AA 1050 and on rolled or machined AA 2024 T3

The porosity of the anodic films grown on aluminium substrates depends on various operating conditions related to the anodization electrolyte and to the applied electrical parameters, as well as to the substrate itself. In the present study, three different aluminium substrates were studied and anodized: AA 1050 (rolled; thickness = 1 mm), AA 2024 T3 (rolled; 1 mm), and AA 2024 T3 (machined; 3 mm). For each type of anodic film, the porosity, as well as its changes during anodization, was accurately characterized using both field-emission gun scanning electron microscopy (FEG-SEM) and a reanodization technique. Moreover, for the first time, the corresponding tortuosity was quantified for all studied substrates. Results for rolled AA 2024 T3 and for machined AA 2024 T3 especially showed significant differences in tortuosity values, contributing towards clarifying, in part, their different wettability characteristics or anticorrosion behaviour, so far not clearly explained.     

多孔阳极氧化铝膜的制备研究

在直流恒压下,在不同的酸性溶液中对铝片实施两步阳极氧化制备多孔氧化铝膜,在磷酸溶液中制得的模板孔径大,并且电解时间缩短,加快了制备模板的过程。同时利用阳极氧化初期电流密度的变化,分析了多孔氧化铝膜的形成机理。     

Synthesis of anodic silicon oxide films in water-organic solutions containing orthophosphoric acid

Variations in electrophysical properties of anodic silicon oxide at the surface of semiconductor silicon are studied as a function of the composition of electrolytic solutions containing orthophosphoric acid and the conditions of reaching the final formation potential. The optimum conditions for the formation of anodic SiO₂ coatings that include phosphorus-containing admixtures are determined, the coatings being intended for application as diffusates in nanoelectronics.     

Electrochemical formation of anodic oxide films on Nb surfaces: ellipsometric and Raman spectroscopical studies

Electrochemical formation of anodic oxide films on niobium (Nb) surfaces in 1 M H₂SO₄ solutions was studied using ellipsometry and Raman spectroscopy. By in situ ellipsometric measurements, the coefficient of film thickness growth and the complex index of refraction of anodic oxide films in the voltage range between 0 and 100 V were determined. The Raman spectra reveal that the thin passive films are amorphous. In the beginning of crystallization, the anodic oxide films consist of mixtures of NbO₂ and Nb₂O₅, while NbO₂ is completely transformed to Nb₂O₅ for thicker and well-crystallized films.     

Surface characteristics of anodic oxide films fabricated in acid and neutral electrolytes on Ti–10V–2Fe–3Al alloy

Anodic oxide films were fabricated on Ti–10V–2Fe–3Al alloy in acid (H₂SO₄/H₃PO₄) and neutral environmental friendly (C₄H₄O₆Na₂) electrolytes. The morphology, roughness, crystalline structure of the anodic oxide film were characterized by using scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results showed that the oxide film fabricated in H₂SO₄/H₃PO₄ electrolyte had a porous structure and the thickness of the film was 3.5 µm. The oxide film fabricated in C₄H₄O₆Na₂ electrolyte presented a nonporous structure that sustained the evident microstructure of the substrate, and the thickness of the film was 6.0 µm. The surface average roughness values of the two types of films were 245 nm and 166 nm, respectively. The phase of the anodic oxide films consisted mainly of anatase and rutile. EIS results showed that the film fabricated in C₄H₄O₆Na₂ electrolyte had higher impedance of the outer layer, while the film fabricated in H₂SO₄/H₃PO₄ electrolyte had higher impedance of the inner layer. Moreover, we attempt to explain the differences in the anodizing kinetics, structure and electrochemical impedance of anodic oxide films by the different films growth processes in the two types of electrolytes. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Thickness determination of thin anodic titanium oxide films—a comparison between coulometry and reflectometry

The determination of oxide film properties as the relative permittivity ε_r requires knowledge of the film thickness. Coulometry, as well as visible reflectometry, are fast and simple methods for determining the thickness of thin anodic oxide films on Titanium (99.9%) and a titanium alloy (TiAlV6‐4). A comparison of the results shows the specific disadvantages and limitations of each method. On the one hand, the reflectometry yields a too‐small film thickness and the authors therefore developed a simple correction algorithm for the reflectometric data. On the other hand, coulometry is not suitable as a thickness determination in the case of side reactions such as oxygen evolution. However, the complementary approach to the thickness determination, by using both reflectometry and coulometry, brings reliable thickness values of visible reflectometry down to ≥ 5 nm. Furthermore, the comparison between coulometry and reflectometry allows the estimation of the current efficiency when the oxide formation is attended by side reactions. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Growth mechanism of anodic oxide films on pure aluminium in aqueous acidic and alkaline solutions

The present work was conducted to explore the growth mechanism of anodic oxide films on pure aluminium in aqueous acidic and alkaline solutions by using a.c. impedance spectroscopy and a beam deflection technique. From the analyses of a.c impedance data, it was found that the reciprocal capacitance of anodic oxide film on pure aluminium increased linearly with increasing film formation potential in both acidic and alkaline solutions, indicating a linear increase in the film thickness with film formation potential. However, as the film formation potential increased, the resistance of anodic oxide film decreased in acidic solution, while it increased in alkaline solution. From the measurements of the deflection, the deflection was observed to move towards only a compressive direction with time in acidic solution, but it showed a transition in the direction of movement from compressive to tensile in alkaline solution. Based upon the above experimental results, it is suggested that the movement of oxygen vacancy through the oxide film contributes to the growth of anodic oxide film on pure aluminium in acidic solution, but the movement of both aluminium vacancy and oxygen vacancy accounts for that oxide film growth in alkaline solution. Received: 12 August 1997 / Accepted: 9 October 1997     

The influence of initial surface conditions on field crystallization of anodic aluminum oxide films determined by synchrotron X‐ray diffraction

X‐ray diffraction measurements were performed using synchrotron radiation at the SPring‐8 facility and electrochemical techniques to investigate the effect of polishing methods and storage conditions on the crystal structure of air‐formed oxide films and anodic oxide films formed on highly pure aluminum. Storage in an N₂ environment hinders local film breakdown during anodizing, and it was established that the X‐ray diffraction measurements showed the presence of a γ‐Al₂O₃ in the anodic oxide film formed on mechanically polished (MP) specimens. Formation of γ‐Al₂O₃ during anodizing was inhibited by electropolishing because of the removal of the work‐hardened layer that was formed on the MP by electro‐polishing. The X‐ray diffraction results do not show clear differences in the influence of the polishing method on the crystal structure of air formed oxide film. This is due to the very fast oxidation rate of the air‐formed oxide film and very long storage times for the X‐ray measurements. The anodic oxide film formed on aluminum, which has a very flat surface, shows color and the color depended on grain orientation. The electrochemical impedance of the MP specimen is slightly lower than that of the mechanically and then electrochemically polished specimen at the middle frequency range. This impedance difference may be due to formation of γ‐Al₂O₃ in the amorphous anodic oxide film and the thickness of the film. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lithium ions determination by selective pre-concentration and differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry using a carbon paste electrode modified with a spinel-type manganese oxide

The use of selective pre-concentration and differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV) using a carbon paste electrode modified (CPEM) with spinel-type manganese oxide has been proposed for the determination of lithium ions content in natural waters. The new procedure is based on the effective pre-concentration of lithium ions on the electrode surface containing spinel-type Mn(IV) oxide with the reduction of Mn(IV) to Mn(III) and consequently the lithium ions intercalation (insertion) into the spinel structure. The best DPASV response was reached for an electrode composition of 25% (m/m) spinel-type MnO₂ in the paste, 0.1 mol l⁻¹ tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (TRIS) buffer solution of pH 8.3, scan rate of 5 mV s⁻¹, accumulation potential of 0.3 V versus saturated calomel reference electrode (SCE), pre-concentration time of 30 s and potential pulse amplitude of 50 mV. In these experimental conditions, the proposed methodology responds to lithium ions in the concentration range of 2.8×10⁻⁶ to 2.0×10⁻³ mol l⁻¹ with a detection limit of 5.6×10⁻⁷ mol l⁻¹. The determination of the lithium ions content in different samples of natural waters samples using the proposed methodology and atomic absorption spectrophotometry are in agreement at the 95% confidence level and within an acceptable range of error.     

Dissolution behavior of anodic oxide films formed in sulfanic acid on aluminum

Chemical dissolution of the barrier layer of porous oxide films formed on an aluminum foil (99.5% purity) in 1.5 M sulfanic acid after immersion in a 2 mol dm⁻³ sulphuric acid at 50 °C was studied. The barrier layer thickness before and after dissolution was determined using a re-anodizing technique. Re-anodizing was conducted in 0.5 mol dm⁻³ H³BO³/0.05 mol dm⁻³ Na²B⁴O⁷ solution. We found that the change in the porous oxide growth mechanism was observed at the anodizing voltage of 30 V. Taking into account this result chemical dissolution behaviour of the barrier layer of porous films formed at 20 V and 36 V and also the influence of annealing of oxide films at 200 °C were studied. We showed the interplay between the dissolution rates and charge distribution across the barrier layer. We conclude that the outer and middle layers have negative space charges and the inner layer has positive space charges.     

Incorporation and migration of phosphorus species within anodic films on an Al‐W alloy

The effect of tungsten species on the incorporation and migration of phosphorus species within anodic alumina is investigated. The study employs barrier anodic films, formed on a sputtering‐deposited Al‐15at.%W alloy in phosphate electrolytes. The films consist of either an outer tungsten‐containing region and an inner tungsten‐free region, or a tungsten‐containing region only. Phosphorus species are shown to migrate inward in the tungsten‐containing alumina more slowly than in the tungsten‐free alumina. In contrast, the outward migration of tungsten species is relatively unaffected by the presence of phosphorus species. The relevance of the results to the use of tungsten tracers for the study of porous film growth is discussed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comments on the paper: “Accurate quantitative analysis of gold alloys using multi-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy and a correlation-based calibration method”

The problem of finding new methods for the analysis of precious alloys has stimulated, in recent years, a number of different proposals for improving the analytical procedures introducing more robust calibration (or calibration-free) methods. In the paper “Accurate quantitative analysis of gold alloys using multi-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy and a correlation-based calibration method” by G. Galbács, N.Jedinski, G.Cseh, Z. Galbács and L. Túri [Spectrochimica Acta Part B, Volume 63, Issue 5, 591–597 (May 2008)] the authors proposed the use of multiple-pulse LIBS and a correlation-based method for building calibration curves for quantitative analysis of gold alloys. The method is proposed for gold alloys prepared using a fixed proportion of the alloying element. The general case where the relative concentration of the elements of the matrix is not a priori known is not discussed in the paper. In this communication, we will demonstrate that the method proposed is extremely fragile against matrix effects, and therefore cannot be usefully applied for the purpose of actual analytical measurements on gold alloys without a previous knowledge of the matrix composition.     

Highly increased capacitance and thermal stability of anodic oxide films on oxygen-incorporated Zr-Ti alloy

Heat treatment of Zr-24 at% Ti alloy with barrier-type dielectric anodic oxide films was conducted at 473 K in air to examine the thermal stability of the dielectric oxide films for possible electrolytic capacitor application. The anodic oxide film was formed by anodizing of the alloy at 50 V for 30 min in 0.1 mol dm^?3 ammonium pentaborate electrolyte. The anodic oxide film of 125 nm thickness was crystalline, containing both monoclinic and tetragonal ZrO₂ phase. It was found that marked thickening of the oxide film with generation of cracks occurred during heat treatment at 473 K. Thus, the dielectric loss was largely increased along with the capacitance increase. In contrast, the anodic oxide film formed on the oxygen-incorporated alloy remained uniform, and no significant increase in dielectric loss was observed even after the heat treatment. The capacitance of the anodic film became as high as 4.8 mF m^?2, which was nearly twice that on Ta. The high capacitance was associated with the preferential formation of tetragonal ZrO₂ phase in the anodic oxide film on the oxygen-incorporated alloy. Findings indicated that the oxygen-incorporated Zr-Ti alloy is a promising novel material for capacitor application.     

Influence of alloying elements and etching treatment on the passivating films formed on aluminium alloys

This paper studies the characteristics of aluminium oxide layers present on the surface of commercial aluminium specimens after thermomechanical processing and after subsequent etching in an alkaline solution, highlighting the main differences observed. An attempt is made to establish possible relationships between alloying elements and the characteristics of these layers. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy of archaeological findings with calibration-free inverse method: Comparison with classical laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy and conventional techniques

A modified version of the calibration-free (CF) method was applied to the analysis of a set of archaeological brooches made of various copper-based alloys and coming from the archaeological site of Egnatia (Apulia, Southern Italy). The developed methodology consists in determining the plasma temperature by reversing the set of equations employed in the usual CF algorithm, and it is thus referred to as “inverse method”. The plasma temperature is determined for one certified standard, by using its known elemental composition as an input data, and then applied to the set of unknown samples to evaluate their composition in a CF mode. The feasibility of such an approach is demonstrated by comparing the results obtained with classical LIBS (drawing calibration lines with a series of matrix-matched certified standards) and with independent measurements performed with a conventional technique (LA-ICP-MS).     

Surface modification of titanium by anodic oxidation in phosphoric acid at low potentials. Part 1. Structure,electronic properties and thickness of the anodic films

Titanium surface characteristics determine the degree of success of permanent implants. The topography, morphology of the surface in micro and nano scales, the impurities present and other characteristics are a main concern, and therefore a multi‐technique approach is required in order to evaluate modification process effects on the surface. Surface modification of titanium in the nanometrical range was performed by means of anodisation in phosphoric with the aim of improving both the biocompatibility and the corrosion resistance in the biological media. Biocompatible characteristics of the modified titanium surface, as the presence of anatase in the oxide film and the incorporation of phosphate to the surface, were determined. Moreover, the electronic properties of the surface oxide presented a carrier number adequate for biomedical applications. The increase in the film thickness from 3 to 42 nm was estimated from EIS results when anodising potentials from 0 to 30 V were applied, whereas a bi‐layer structure of the protective oxides formed was determined. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.