Effects of polymer corrosion inhibitor on widening etch tunnels of aluminum foil for capacitor

• DOI: 10.1016/j.corsci.2013.07.011
• Publication Date: 2013-07-15T21:45:25Z
• Authors: Chaolei Ban; Yedong He; Xin Shao; Zhishen Wang
• Keywords: 0103 physical sciences; 01 natural sciences

Abstract We investigated the effects of polymeric corrosion inhibitor polystyrene sulfonic acid (PSSA) additive to 3% HNO3 solution on widening tunnels of pre-etched aluminum foil by electrochemical DC etching for aluminum electrolytic capacitors, using scanning electron microscopy and polarization curves. With trace PSSA, the dissolution of exterior surface of etch tunnels of Al foil is suppressed and the dissolution of interior surface of etch tunnels of Al foil is facilitated, respectively. The tunnels transform from circular cone to circular column in shape and pits-merging on the surface is weakened, leading to significant increase in the surface area and specific capacitance of the Al foil. The amounts of reduced thickness and weight of Al foil during the widening process of etch tunnels can be decreased if PSSA is employed.