SOLVENT INCORPORATION INTO ELECTROCHEMICALLY GROWN ALUMINUM-OXIDE FILMS IN AN ETHYLENE-GLYCOL SOLUTION

An anodic film was formed on aluminum at 0.5 A dm(-2) to 50 V in a 1 m ol dm(-3) tetraethylammonium vanadate/ethylene glycol solution contain ing 0.2 wt% of water and was characterized by TEM, XPS, AES and FT-IR. This anodic film was a barrier-type film whose relative permittivity was about 5. Carbon and vanadium atoms were incorporated into the alum inum oxide film from the electrolyte solution, and the ethylene glycol solvent was incorporated at a higher concentration than the vanadate anion. This film was 125 nm thick and about 1.7 times thicker than tha t formed in a tetraethylammonium vanadate aqueous solution, however, i t shrank to a standard thickness by annealing at 300 degrees C under a ir atmosphere due to the loss of organic substances.