Optical properties of porous anodic alumina embedded Cu nanocomposite films

• PAA embedded Cu nanocomposite films has fabricated in copper sulfate electrolyte by an ac electrodeposition method.
• Deposition of Cu can improve the fragility and color saturation of PAA composite films.
• Tunable color in the films is obtained by adjusting anodization time, and can be adjusted across the entire visible range.

Porous anodic alumina embedded Cu with iridescent colors were fabricated in copper sulfate electrolyte. The films display highly saturated colors after being synthesized by an ac electrodeposition method. Tunable color in the films is obtained by adjusting anodization time, and can be adjusted across the entire visible range. Theoretical results of the changes in the structural color according to the Bragg–Snell formula are consistent with the experimental results. The films could be used in many areas including decoration, display and multifunctional anti-counterfeiting applications.