Ellipso-Microscopic Observation of Titanium Surface under UV-Light Irradiation

The ellipso-microscopic observation of a titanium surface undergoing anodization in $0.05mol\;dm^{-3}$ of $H_2SO_4$ was conducted. During irradiation by ultra-violet (UV) light with a wavelength of 325 nm, the titanium surface allowed for the flow of a photo-induced current and showed up as a bright, patch-like image on an ellipso-microscopic view. The brightness and patch-pattern in the image changed with flowing photo-induced current. The changes in the brightness and the image corresponded to the formation and/or degradation of titanium oxide due to the photo-electrochemical reaction of the oxide. An in situ monitoring using the ellipso-microscope revealed that the film change was dependent on the irradiation light power, by UV-light increases the anodic current and results in the initiation of pitting at lower potentials as compared with the non-irradiated condition.