Formation of anodic ZrO2 nanostructures in NH4F/ethylene glycol electrolyte

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate the morphology and surface species of ZrO2 film formed in a fluorinated ethylene glycol electrolyte by anodization process. In this work, no water was added into the NH4F/ethylene glycol electrolyte. Possible formation mechanism of anodic ZrO2 nanostructures in the NH4F/EG electrolyte was also explored. As a result, the porous ZrO2 film with the thickness of 1.5 - 2.5 μm was produced. From the top view, it is observed that the surface consists of rings with diameters of 100 - 160 nm. However, the oxide does not consist of any tubular structure. The FTIR spectrum of the film shows that the top of anodic ZrO2 film is covered by anion contamination, e.g. OH- and CO3-.