A new approach to electropolishing of pure Ti foil in acidic solution at room temperature for the formation of ordered and long TiO2 nanotube arrays

Abstract

We have developed an effective approach for the EP process of Ti foil at RT in acidic solution. The idea is to use two different temperatures (3 °C and RT) for both sides of foil to optimize the current density. While keeping the electrolyte at RT, the lower temperature is used for the backside cooling of foil. The Ti surface roughness decreases by approximately 91% after optimizing the EP conditions. Our results show that the growth rate of TNTs is enhanced up to 37% and a significant improvement in the arrangement is observed over a larger area, compared to unpolished foil.