Optimized observation of tungsten tracers for investigation of formation of porous anodic alumina

Improved methods are presented for investigating the flow of anodic alumina during the formation of porous anodic films on aluminium in phosphoric acid. In particular, the use of tungsten nanolayer tracers with increased flatness is shown to result in enhanced definition of the influences of flow on the tracer distribution, as observed by electron microscopy. Additionally, taper sectioning of films, by ultramicrotomy, and parallel sectioning of films, by sputtering using an Ar⁺ ion plasma, enable tungsten distributions across cells to be determined. In the case of an Al–3.5 at.%W alloy, the flow results in an inner alumina layer lining the pore walls that is relatively free of tungsten species and an outer cell layer of comparatively high tungsten content. Both sectioning procedures also show the presence of fine cell boundary bands of relatively high tungsten content, which are suggested to result from the transport of tungsten, enriched in the alloy immediately beneath the film, toward the cell boundary by the alloy/film interface.