An investigation was conducted on the anodisation of commercial grade aluminium in aqueous sodium sulphate and sodium oxalate solutions. The parameters investigated were anodisation potential and electrolyte composition. Degree of anodisation was evaluated by visual observation of the anodised surface, analyses of current-concentration graphs at constant potential and current-potential characte...

This study is the first realisation of true optical rugate filters (RFs) based on nanoporous anodic alumina (NAA) by sinusoidal waves. An innovative and rationally designed sinusoidal pulse anodisation (SPA) approach in galvanostatic mode is used with the aim of engineering the effective medium of NAA in a sinusoidal fashion. A precise control over the different anodisation parameters (i.e. ano...

Niobium thin film wires were fabricated using electron beam lithography with a four layer liftoff mask system, and subsequently thinned by anodisation. The resistance along the wire was monitored in situ and trimmed by controlling the anodisation voltage. Depending on the room temperature sheet resistance, samples showed either superconducting or insulating behaviour at low temperatures. A Coul...

In this work the direct transfer of nanopatterns into titanium is demonstrated. The nanofeatures are imprinted at room temperature using diamond stamps in a single step. We also show that the imprint properties of the titanium surface can be altered by anodisation yielding a significant reduction in the required imprint force for pattern transfer. The anodisation process is also utilised for cu...

Niobium thin film nanostructures were fabricated using electron beam lithography and a liftoff process involving a four layer resist system. Wires having micrometres in length and below 200nm in width were deposited on an insulating substrate and subsequently thinned by anodisation. The resistance of the wires was monitored in situ and could be trimmed by controlling the anodisation voltage and...

The mechanical properties and good biocompatibility of zirconium and some of its alloys make these materials good candidates for biomedical applications. The attractive in vivo performance of zirconium is mainly due to the presence of a protective oxide layer. In this preliminary study, the surface of pure zirconium modified by anodisation in acidic media at low potentials to enhance its barrie...

Three types of metallic nanostructures comprising niobium were investigated experimentally; in all three types, electric transport at very low temperatures was governed by Coulomb blockade effects. 1. Thin film strips of niobium could be tuned into resistor strips by an electrochemical anodisation process, using microfabricated masks and in situ resistance monitoring. These resistors showed a t...

In this study, titanium thin films were deposited on alumina substrates by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. The mechanical properties of the Ti coatings were evaluated in terms of adhesion strength at various RF powers, temperatures, and substrate bias voltages. The coating conditions of 400W of RF power, 250°C, and a 75V substrate bias voltage produced the strongest coating adhesion,...