A potential application of anodic aluminum oxide template as substrate of chemical sensors

We fabricated the electrolyte-insulator-metal (EIM) sensor on the base of Si₃N₄ film-coated AAO (anodic aluminum oxide) template for chemical sensors. The average pore size and the thickness of the AAO template were approximately 160 nm and 168 nm, respectively. The outer oxide layer thickness of the bottom part, the interface between the Al₂O₃ pore and the Al metal substrate, was thicker than that of the side part, and the thickness of inner oxide layer and outer oxide layer of the bottom part were about 24 nm and 30 nm, respectively. The spacing of lattice plane of the oxide layer was about 2.387 Å. The average pH sensitivity was 51.6 mV/pH.