Fabrication of Nanoporous Alumina and Their Structural Characteristics Study Using SEM Image Processing and Analysis

Abstract

Nanoporous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes were fabricated by a two-step anodization process. Quantitative structural characterization was carried out using scanning electron microscopy images of the fabricated anodized alumina. An algorithm based on mathematical morphology was developed to extract pore size distribution with average, minimum, and maximum pore diameter of the nanoporous alumina. This technique of obtaining quantitative data based on image analysis could be an efficient, unbiased, and reliable method and can be used to control the fabrication parameters of anodization process.

Keywords:

• anodic aluminum oxide
• anodization
• mathematical morphology analysis
• scanning electron microscopy

Acknowledgments

One of the authors (KSC) gratefully acknowledges Dr. S. Venugopal and Mr. Girish M. of Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science for providing FESEM facility.