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Nucleation and growth of porous anodic films on aluminium

Nature volume 272, pages 433–435 (1978)Cite this article

Abstract

POROUS anodic films on aluminium are of considerable interest, not only because of their important practical uses in architecture and industry but also because of their novel regular morphology. The simple explanation involving field-assisted dissolution1,2 has now been extended and an additional mechanism involving direct loss of Al3+ ions to solution has been proposed3. Ultramicrotomy4 and ion beam thinning5 of films, together with transmission electron microscopy and secondary ion mass spectrometry, have provided greater information on the film morphology and composition. Here we outline some of the more significant findings relating to the large-featured, regular films formed in phosphoric acid.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Corrosion and Protection Centre, University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, PO Box 88, Manchester, UK

    G. E. THOMPSON, R. C. FURNEAUX, G. C. WOOD, J. A. RICHARDSON & J. S. GOODE

Authors
  1. G. E. THOMPSON
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  2. R. C. FURNEAUX
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  3. G. C. WOOD
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  4. J. A. RICHARDSON
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  5. J. S. GOODE
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THOMPSON, G., FURNEAUX, R., WOOD, G. et al. Nucleation and growth of porous anodic films on aluminium. Nature 272, 433–435 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1038/272433a0

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