Synthesis of self-aligned titanium oxide nanotube arrays in ammonium fluoride-ethylene glycol electrolytes with different water contents

Abstract

The aim of this research is to fabricate of TiO 2 nanotube arrays by potentiostatic anodisation process on titanium sheets. Anodisation is carried out under various applied potentials ranging from 20 to 30 volts for 1-3 hours at room temperature. Anodised were conducted in 1-4 wt% NH 4F, water-based electrolyte and ethylene glycol-based electrolyte. The morphology of the anodised surfaces were characterised by scanning electron microscopy. When titanium sheets were anodised in various conditions, surface morphology of anodised titanium change remarkably with the changing of applied voltages, chemical composition of the electrolyte and anodisation time. The results of the present work show that the highly ordered and uniformly distributed TiO 2 nanotubes on titanium substrate can be fabricated by using mixtures of NH 4F, ethylene glycol and water with appropriate conditions. Moreover, the anodisation potential and the water content play significant roles in the formation of TiO 2 nanotube with different inner tube diameters. The length of TiO 2 nanotube was controlled by anodisation time. © (2012) Trans Tech Publications.