Highly ordered nanoporous Ta2O5 formed by anodization of Ta at high temperatures in a glycerol/phosphate electrolyte

In the present work, we investigate the anodization of Ta in a K2HPO4 containing glycerol electrolyte at elevated temperatures (180 °C). Under optimized conditions, uniformly over the entire anodized surface, self-organized porous Ta2O5 structures can be formed, that consist of highly aligned pores of 25 nm diameter and several tens of micrometers in length.

Research Highlights► We form a highly self-organized porous Ta2O5 layers by a simplebut optimized anodization process. ► We show that key is using a hot glycerol/K2HPO4 electrolyteatcontrolled anodization voltages. ► The layer thickness and pore diameters are controllable by the anodization conditions.