Characterisation of self-ordered porous anodic alumina by X-ray diffraction line profile analysis

We report on the structural properties of porous anodic alumina (PAA) film produced by the anodisation technique under different annealing temperatures. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and photoluminescence (PL) measurements were performed. For the samples annealed in oxygen, decreases in the PL intensity and blueshift of the PL peak energy are observed with increasing annealing temperatures. The properties of the nanostructure of the samples are further characterised by analysis of the XRD line shapes with a theoretical model. The internal strain and size distribution of the nanostructures in the samples are determined. The analysis shows that sample prepared under higher annealing temperatures would exhibit lower internal strain, which is consistent with the experimental results from the PL spectra. Furthermore, it is found that the sample processed at higher annealing temperatures possesses larger pore diameters. The calculation results are verified by images of the surface morphology of the samples.