Charge storage and the effects of ultraviolet radiation on aluminium oxide films have been studied using the Kelvin probe technique. Freshly anodized films are found to contain a negative surface charge which decays to a steady state value independent of oxide thickness. This negative surface charge can be removed by irradiation with ultraviolet radiation thus assisting the process of electron emission. These results would indicate that the UV radiation from an arc plays a positive role in the arc root initiation process on Al electrodes with oxide surfaces greater than 10 nm.
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