Local Anodizing of a Newly Prepared Aluminum Micrometric Disk

A search through the literature reveals that the vast majority of studies about aluminum anodizing were conducted at the macroscale (i.e., from cm(2) up to m(2)), while those focused on local anodizing (i.e., on surfaces of less than 1 mm(2)) are rare. The last ones either used insulating masks or were conducted in an electrolyte droplet. The present study describes on the one hand a new way to prepare aluminum microelectrodes of conventional disk-shaped geometry, and on the other hand the local anodizing of their respective aluminum micrometric top-disks. The influence of the anodizing voltage on anodic film characteristics (i.e., thickness, growth rate and expansion factor) was studied during local anodizing. Compared with the values reported for macroscopic anodizing, the pore diameter appears to be significantly low and the film growth rate can reach atypically high values, both specificities probably resulting from a very limited increase in the temperature on the aluminum surface during anodizing.