Growth of Tunnels during Aluminum DC Pulse Current Etching

Abstract:

High-purity aluminum foil was etched with DC pulse current in acids solutions at first time. Experiments indicated that tunnels morphology was influenced by current density, pulse duty-cycle and frequency of DC pulse current, tunnels began to grow when the current density reached to 0.8A cm^-2, and tunnels grew along three directions to form a netlike construction in the surface of aluminum foil, which increased effectually surface areas of aluminum foil. In addition, when aluminum was etched in the solution of 1 N HCl +0.8 N HNO₃,tunnels morphology shows that tunnel does not grow continually during DC pulse current etching, so it is a method to study the mechanism of tunnel growth, for example period of tunnel growth, velocity of tunnel growth. The experimental results are discussed according to tunnels morphology.

• Periodical: Applied Mechanics and Materials (Volume 654)
• Pages: 24-30
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.654.24
• Online since: October 2014
• Authors: Dan Lu Liu, Ren Gui Xiao*, Teng Zou, Jian Zhong Wang, Jian Xin Cao, Dao Yun Xu
• Keywords: Aluminum (Al), DC Pulse Current, Etching, Tunnel Morphology

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