Electrochemical Reactor with an Ultrasonic Piezoelectric Ceramic Transducer for Manufacturing Nanoporous Aluminum Oxide Membrane

This article is intended for the research and development of innovative functional nanoporous membranes manufacturing technology. Innovative anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) nanoporous membranes would be characterized by having different controlled nanopores areas. To achieve this objective, an electrochemical reactor stand suitable for the synthesis of new nanoporous membranes was developed. To obtain pore areas of different sizes, high-frequency excitation techniques will be used during the electrochemical etching process. Before starting the production of innovative AAO membranes, it is important to perform vibration analysis and verify that the developed electrochemical reactor can use a high-frequency excitation technique to control the distribution of nanopores during the electrochemical etching process. Firstly, vibration simulations were performed by using COMSOL Multiphysics 5.4 software. Using theoretical calculations, it is possible to discover the frequency at which a reactor can reach resonant modes. Then, theoretical results were compared with experimental ones. The results of the vibration analysis revealed that the reactor design is suitable to produce innovative AAO membranes. Vibration analysis shows that the use of high-frequency vibrations offers a real opportunity to create innovative AAO membranes with different controlled nanopore areas. This would extend their functionality and application in various fields.