Substrate grain boundary effects on the ordering of nanopores in anodic aluminum oxide

We present a novel approach to investigate the relationship between the ordered domains of nanopores in an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template and the underlying substrate grain boundary structure, by simultaneously analyzing the ordering of the concaves remnant on the surface of the aluminum and its grain boundary structure using Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD). These observations show that the ordered domains of the AAO template can extend across the substrate grain boundaries and the mechanism is discussed.