Aluminum oxide films containing small quantities of silver are produced by plasma electrolytic oxidation of aluminum (97%) in different electrolytes aiming the synthesis of bactericidal coatings over aluminum for food packaging applications. Sodium citrate, citric acid, and sodium silicate, containing Ag nanoparticles (Ag‐NPs) or Ag+ ions (AgNO3) are tested as electrolyte. The galvanostatic anodization curves are used as diagnostic to evaluate the production of Ag‐alumina coatings in a one‐step procedure. Citric acid and silicate media provide more stability and reproducibility in coatings production; however, only coatings produced in silicate solution exhibit antimicrobial effect against Bacillus subtilis bacteria. The oxide films are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDS). An irregular porous structure and a silver content of 0.1–1.9 wt.% in the oxide coatings are observed.
This review addresses the main contributions of anodic oxide films synthesized and designed to overcome the current limitations of practical applications in energy conversion and storage devices. We present some strategies adopted to improve the efficiency, stability, and overall performance of these sustainable technologies operating via photo, photoelectrochemical, and electrochemical processes. The facile and scalable synthesis with strict control of the properties combined with the low-cost, high surface area, chemical stability, and unidirectional orientation of these nanostructures make the anodized oxides attractive for these applications. Assuming different functionalities, TiO2-NT is the widely explored anodic oxide in dye-sensitized solar cells, PEC water-splitting systems, fuel cells, supercapacitors, and batteries. However, other nanostructured anodic films based on WO3, CuxO, ZnO, NiO, SnO, Fe2O3, ZrO2, Nb2O5, and Ta2O5 are also explored and act as the respective active layers in several devices. The use of AAO as a structural material to guide the synthesis is also reported. Although in the development stage, the proof-of-concept of these devices demonstrates the feasibility of using the anodic oxide as a component and opens up new perspectives for the industrial and commercial utilization of these technologies.
Modified titanium nanotubes (TiO2NTs) coatings are grown in simulated body fluid (SBF) from Ticp and Ti6Al4V. The addition of 1% v/v of SBF to the electrolyte neither modifies film morphology nor the structural oxide characteristics for both metal substrates. However, an improvement in mechanical properties (hardness and elasticity model) and wettability is observed. From bioactive assay, a higher amount of fluorapatite was detected on the top of TiO2NTs prepared in SBF‐based electrolyte.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.