Preface

Written by an outstanding group of experts in the field, this book presents an exciting and fresh compilation of the last advances and developments in one of the most popular nanostructured materials, nanoporous anodic alumina. The electrochemical and synthetic methods, as well as characterization techniques and applications will be discussed in detail throughout this book. Nanoporous anodic alumina was discovered during the first decades of the twentieth century and widely used in industry for corrosion protection, car industry, and metal decoration purposes for almost a century. The advent of high resolution scanning electron microscopy and other surface characterization techniques revealed the unique structural properties of this nanomaterial, which after a short time became one of the most explored nanostructures across a broad range of disciplines and fields. As an example, more than 3000 journal papers on nanoporous anodic alumina were published in last 20 years. This intensive research work can be explained by its simplicity of fabrication, unique self-ordered nanoporous structure, and a plethora of outstanding properties, which have spread the use of nanoporous anodic alumina in a broad range of applications and disciplines, including optics and photonics, electronics, membrane science, fundamental research, materials science, engineering, medicine, and industry. The aim of this book is to present the recent progress in nanoporous anodic alumina, with special focus on the understanding of its properties, preparation methods, structural engineering, and applications. The book covers selected topics with 11 Chapters that we believe will be the most significant contribution to this emerging and fast developing field. Chapter 1 presents the mechanisms of nanoporous alumina formation and self-organized growth, with special focus on the different concepts and aspects involved in this unresolved process. A more detailed insight into the theoretical models describing this electrochemical process is presented in Chap. 2. Chapter 3 is devoted to the synthesis of nanoporous anodic alumina by electrochemical anodization of low purity aluminum substrates, which is a critical factor for spreading the use of this nanomaterial in industrial applications. Chapter 4 compiles an outstanding insight into the different electrochemical approaches used to tailor the