Surface morphology analysis of copper films produced by anodizing process

Currently, copper oxide films are of interest to researchers due to their environmental friendliness, rich resources and low cost. Copper oxide is a p-type semiconductor with a narrow band (1.9 eV-2.2 eV). This material is characterized by the possibility of effective application in sensors [1], hydrogen production [2], energy conversion [3], for the creation of supercapacitors [4], semiconductor catalysis [5], biosensorics [6]. The anodizing process allows you to obtain porous materials based on metal oxides. As with aluminum and titanium oxides, the anodizing process can produce a porous material based on copper oxide. Anodizing is a low-temperature, versatile, economical and simple method. In addition, anodizing allows to change the morphology and size of the copper oxide nanostructure to some extent [7]. In the course of practical work, a copper plate with a size of several microns was used as the initial material. The process of single-stage anodizing was performed at a temperature of 4°C for 90 seconds in an electrolyte of an acidic environment. As a result, the morphology of copper films was studied using Ntegra Therma (NT - MDT) atomic force microscopy. AFM shows that the surface morphology depends on various chemical bonds on the surface of copper