Nanowire Array of Rare-Earth Simple Substance Neodymium by DC Electrodeposition with Barrier-Layer-Free Template

A two-step anodization method was adopted to prepare the porous anode alumina (PAA) template through the oxalic acid solution. By adjusting the parameters (such as current density, oxidation time, electrolyte concentration and other factors), the PAA template was obtained, which has the evenly distributed pores with similar diameters and hexagonal-shaped mouth. Meanwhile, by removing the barrier layer without peeling off the film, the residual aluminum becomes the base and acts as electrode. In the non-aqueous system, the nanowire of RE simple-substance (SS) Nd has been prepared with the template DC electrodeposition. The aperture diameter of PAA template is approximately 60 nm, and there is little change before and after the barrier layer is removed. The Nd nanowire given is orderly and in similar size. EDS shows that the nanowires contain simple-substance (SS) Nd and a tiny of Nd2O3, while the content of SS Nd is 92.73 wt%. Both the SS Nd and Nd2O3 nanowire are possessed of hexagonal structure.