AN ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT TO ELECTROPOLISHING: CHEMICAL POLISHING

Anodic alumina template containing hexagonally ordered nanopores has been widely used over the last decade for the development of numerous functional nanostructures such as nanoscale sensors, computing networks, optoelectronic devices, thin film micro circuits, ultra filtration membranes, keying layers for organic adhesives to hard, wear and corrosion resistant layers and memories. The long range pore order requires the starting aluminum surface to be extremely smooth. Electropolishing is the most commonly used method for surface planarization prior to anodization. While prevalent, this method has several limitations in terms of throughput, polishing area and requirement of special experimental setups. In this work, we report a new treatment called-chemical polishing which offers a viable, simpler, safer and faster alternative to electropolishing.