Deterministic Model of Observed Colours on Metal-Anodic Aluminium Oxide-Al Nanostructures

Structural colours have produced immense attention in reproducing the vivid colours found in nature. In this study, metal-anodic aluminium oxide (AAO)-Al nanostructures were deposited using a two-step anodization and sputtering process to produce self-ordered anodic aluminium oxide films and a metal layer (8 nm Cr and 25,17.5 and 10 nm of Au), respectively. AAO films, of various thicknesses, were anodized and the Yxy values (Y, luminance, and xy, chromaticity) were obtained via reflectance measurements. An empirical model, based on the thickness and porosity of the nanostructures, was determined, which would describe a gamut of colours. The proposed mathematical model can be applied in different fields, such as wavelength absorbers, RGB (red, green, blue) display devices, as well as chemical or optical sensors.

Keywords: Anodic aluminium oxide (AAO) films, anodization, reflectance, polar coordinate, plasmonic, colours

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Manzano, C. V.; Schwiedrzik, J. J.; Bürki, G.; Pethö, L.; Michler, J.; Philippe, L. Beilstein Arch. 2020, 20204. doi:10.3762/bxiv.2020.4.v1