Marta Michalska-Domańska

Fabrication and geometric characterization of highly-ordered hexagonally arranged arrays of nanoporous anodic alumina

Abstract Anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) has been fabricated in the 0.3 M oxalic acid at voltage range 20-60 V and temperature range of 35-50oC. The resulting nanoporous alumina surfaces were characterized by high resolution scanning electron microscopy, and the images were quantitatively analysed by means of an innovative approach based on fast Fourier transform. The influence of operating anodization voltage and electrolyte temperature on nanopores geometry (pore diameter, interpore distance, porosity, pores density) and arrangement has been studied in details and compared to literature data and theoretical calculations. It was found that independently from the temperature, the best arrangement of the nanopores is for anodic aluminum oxide formed at voltages ranging from 40 to 50 V. Moreover, it was found that pore diameter and interpore distance increase linearly with voltage, what is in line with the literature data.

Advanced Image Analysis of the Surface Pattern Emerging in Ni3Al Intermetallic Alloys on Anodization

Anodization of Ni3Al alloy is of interest in the field of industrial manufacturing, thanks to the formation of protective oxide layer on the materials working in corrosive environments and high temperatures. However, homogeneous surface treatment is paramount for technological applications of this material. The anodization conditions have to be set outside the ranges of corrosion and “burning”, which is the electric field enhanced anodic dissolution of the metal. In order to check against occurrence of these events, proper quantitative means for assessing the surface quality have to be developed and established. We approached this task by advanced analysis of scanning electron microscope images of anodized Ni3Al plates. The anodization was carried out in 0.3 M citric acid at two temperatures of 0 and 30°C and at voltages in the range of 2 12 V. Different figures can be used to characterize the quality of the surface, in terms of uniformity. Here, the concept of regularity ratio spread is used for the first time on surfaces of technological interest. Additionally, the Minkowski parameters have been calculated and their meaning is discussed.

Synthesis and characterization of noble metal–titania core–shell nanostructures with tunable shell thickness

Core–shell nanostructures have found applications in many fields, including surface enhanced spectroscopy, catalysis and solar cells. Titania-coated noble metal nanoparticles, which combine the surface plasmon resonance properties of the core and the photoactivity of the shell, have great potential for these applications. However, the controllable synthesis of such nanostructures remains a challenge due to the high reactivity of titania precursors. Hence, a simple titania coating method that would allow better control over the shell formation is desired. A sol–gel based titania coating method, which allows control over the shell thickness, was developed and applied to the synthesis of Ag@TiO2 and Au@TiO2 with various shell thicknesses. The morphology of the synthesized structures was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Their sizes and shell thicknesses were determined using tunable resistive pulse sensing (TRPS) technique. The optical properties of the synthesized structures were characterized using UV–vis spectroscopy. Ag@TiO2 and Au@TiO2 structures with shell thickness in the range of ≈40–70 nm and 90 nm, for the Ag and Au nanostructures respectively, were prepared using a method we developed and adapted, consisting of a change in the titania precursor concentration. The synthesized nanostructures exhibited significant absorption in the UV–vis range. The TRPS technique was shown to be a very useful tool for the characterization of metal–metal oxide core–shell nanostructures.