Mechanism of aluminum hydroxide layer formation by surface modification of aluminum

In this study, a new, relatively simple and rapid fabrication method for forming an Al(OH)₃ film on Al substrates was demonstrated. This method, i.e., alkali surface modification, is simply comprised of dipping the substrate in a 5 × 10⁻³ M NaOH solution at 80 °C for 1 min and then immersing it in boiling water for 30 min. After alkali surface modification, an Al(OH)₃ film was formed on Al substrate, and its chemical state and crystal structure were confirmed by XPS and TEM. The Al(OH)₃ layer was composed of three regions: an amorphous-rich region, a region of mixed amorphous and crystal domains, and a crystalline-rich region near the Al(OH)₃ layer surface.