Guided transmission of slow Ne6+ ions through the nanochannels of highly ordered anodic alumina

A highly ordered hexagonally close-packed nanochannels array was prepared using the self-ordering phenomena during a two-step anodization process of a high purity aluminium foil. The anodized aluminium oxide, with pore diameters of about 280 nm and interpore distances of about 450 nm was prepared as a suspended membrane of about 15 mu m thickness on the aluminium frame to which it belongs. The Al2O3 capillaries were bombarded with 3 keV Ne6+ ions. The first results unambiguously show the existence of ion guiding observed at 5 degrees and 7.5 degrees tilt angles of the capillaries compared to the beam direction. To the best of our knowledge, such ion guiding effects of slow ions through hexagonally ordered nanochannels in alumina has not been reported previously.