Fabrication of nanomaterials using anodic aluminum oxide and their properties

A porous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template on the aluminum plate was formed by two-step anodization. Vertically well aligned pores had the average pore sizes of 15–70 nm and the length of approximately 40 μm. CdS nanostructure materials have been fabricated in porous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template by using chemical bath deposition (CBD). These nanostructure materials had uniform diameters of about 15–200 nm, which correspond to the pore sizes of the templates used, and the length was up to 40 μm. X-ray diffraction (XRD) investigation demonstrates that CdS nanostructure materials were hexagonal polycrystalline in nature. As the pore diameter of AAO templates was enlarged, the preferential orientation of c-axis was improved. From PL analysis, the sulfur-deficient defects at the surfaces of CdS nanostructure materials were increased when the sample was synthesized in the template with larger pore diameter.