Fabrication of Graphene-Alumina Heterostructured Films with Nanotube Morphology

The search for highly scalable techniques for the fabrication of promising nanostructured materials is one of the key challenges in modern nanotechnology. Herein, we report on the formation of novel alumina-graphene composite films with an unprecedentedly low optical gap (1.53 eV) and an exciting chemical inertness via Al anodizing in a tartaric acid solution at extremely high current densities that exceed burning initiation. These properties were ascribed to the entrapping of a significant amount of graphene-based materials at the top and back sides of the film. Moreover, nanotube morphology and other properties untypical for alumina films were revealed using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy, and reflectance spectroscopy techniques. Because of novel, exciting optical properties and chemical stability, aluminum anodic oxide films heterostructured with a high amount of graphene material open up opportunities for the fabrication of promising coatings, selective electrodes, and sensors.