Effect of Voltage on Aluminium Nanopore Images using Digital Image Processing Techniques

Abstract

Research on nanotechnology, by and large is dedicated to ordered, controlled and customized fabrication of nanopores. The proposed study emphases on groping the morphology of alumina through FESEM images and characterization using automatic tool developed using image processing software.  The proposed automatic tool measures the effect of variable voltage (35, 40 and 45 V) on alumina at constant concentration (4.7%), time (8 min) and temperature (5^oC). It has been observed that the increase in voltage has increased the pore size from 17.10nm to 40.68nm but the wall thickness initially increased from 34.94nm to 50.09nm with the increase in voltage from 35V to 40V but decreased to 45.36nm at 45 V. Similarly the porosity also increased from 0.43% to 0.80% with the increase in voltage from 35V to 40V but decreased to 0.76% at 45V. The analysis depict that the samples obtained at 40V is having porosity and wall thickness relatively more than the samples obtained  at 45V.  From this we could conclude that, the oxidation potential in formation of aluminum (Al) to Alumina (Al₂O₃) at 40V make the porosity and wall thickness reach the maximum of 0.808% and 50.09nm respectively. Later as the voltage increases the thick aluminum starts dissolving relatively more into the acidic bath solution which leads to increase in pore size and decline in wall thickness and porosity. The experimental results are analyzed and compared with manual results obtained from the chemist and the efficacy of the experimental result is witnessed in this study.

Keywords: Alumina, aluminium nanopore image analysis, FESEM, nanomaterial, nanopore characterization, porosity