Self-assembled stripes on the anodic aluminum oxide by atomic force microscope observation

Non-polished aluminum sheets were anodized. The nanostructures were investigated in details using an atomic force microscope (AFM). The coexistence of self-assembled stripes and porous arrays on the Al surface was observed. The formation mechanism of the stripes is discussed based on the Brusselator model. We suggest that the self-assembled patterns on the Al surface strongly depend on the competition of the formation and the dissolution rate of alumina film during the reaction process. It is also found that this type of ordered structure can only form in certain conditions.