Fabrication of nanostructured materials using porous alumina template and their applications for sensing and electrocatalysis.

Ordered porous anodic aluminum oxide templates have been used extensively for the preparation of various functional nanostructures. Researches on these nanostructured materials for various purposes have received a tremendous attention during recent years. A review of the literature on the fabrication of nanostructured materials using ordered porous anodic aluminum oxide templates and their applications is presented. A survey of the preparation of anodic aluminum oxide films is given first, with an emphasis on highly ordered anodic aluminum oxide films, as the ordered structure is the key point to prepare nanomaterials with uniform morphology. Methods for the fabrication of nanostructured materials using ordered porous anodic aluminum oxide templates are presented next: including dip filling, ion-encountering reaction, electroplating, and chemical vapor deposition method. Several typical examples of each preparation method are given. Finally, overview of applications on these nanostructured materials is presented, particular emphasis is focused on the field of sensing and electrocatalysis.